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Swimming Robot Reaches Australia After Record-Breaking Trip

Posted by samzenpus on from the sink-or-swim dept.

SternisheFan writes "A self-controlled swimming robot has completed a journey from San Francisco to Australia. The record-breaking 9,000 nautical mile (16,668km) trip took the PacX Wave Glider just over a year to achieve. Liquid Robotics, the U.S. company behind the project, collected data about the Pacific Ocean's temperature, salinity and ecosystem from the drone. The company said its success demonstrated that such technology could 'survive the high seas.' The robot is called Papa Mau in honor of the late Micronesian navigator Pius 'Mau' Piailug, who had a reputation for finding ways to navigate the seas without using traditional equipment. 'During Papa Mau's journey, [it] weathered gale-force storms, fended off sharks, spent more than 365 days at sea, skirted around the Great Barrier Reef, and finally battled and surfed the east Australian current to reach his final destination in Hervey Bay, near Bundaberg, Queensland,' the company said in a statement. Some of the data it gathered about the abundance of phytoplankton -plant-like organisms that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and provide food for other sea life -could already be monitored by satellite. However, the company suggested that its equipment offered more detail, providing a useful tool for climate model scientists."

9 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. not more boat people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not another illegal arrival from overseas, we get enough of those already!
    Swimming is a new way to do it though, most use boats... :-)

    1. Re:not more boat people by Lord_of_the_nerf · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't worry, it'll get through. They were smart and painted it white.

  2. Gilligan... by billybob_jcv · · Score: 1, Funny

    taught the robot to dog paddle....

  3. Re:pronounciation by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Funny

    just FYI so that you non-aussies start hearing it wrong in your heads: Hervey bay is pronounced "Harvie" like "Barbie" but with a 'v'.

    Thank you, but what makes you think "aussies" are pronouncing it correctly?

    I mean, it would be a first.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  4. Re:pronounciation by Dipsomaniac · · Score: 5, Funny

    'Varbie'.
    Got it.

  5. And after the robot reached shore... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    he realized he'd forgotten his laptop computer, and would have to swim back.

  6. So much for Australia.. by formfeed · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..as a good spot for a robot prison colony.

  7. Re:pronounciation by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 3, Funny

    'Varbie'.

    Got it.

    No, numbnuts... it's 'barbie' with a 'v'.

    I.e., 'bvrbie.'

  8. Re:pronounciation by Sussurros · · Score: 3, Funny

    Do you have any evidence to support that? Anecdotal evidence is fine.

    In New Zealand they say that Australian women have the best sense of humour in the world and continually prove it by marrying Australian men.

    --
    I said - don't look Ethel!..., but it was too late..., she'd already looked.