Wave Glider Robots in Unmanned Eco Sea Voyage

Four unmanned maritime robots have begun an environmental fact-finding mission in the Pacific Ocean, which will see them cover a total distance of over 30,000 nautical miles.

While they collect data on the quality and the make-up of the water in which they're travelling, they'll also aim to establish a new endurance world record for unmanned sea craft.

The four robots are Wave Gliders, designed and developed by Liquid Robotics. Each of them is equipped with an array of solar-powered sensors that will take measurements at 10 minute intervals. These sensors include a Datawell MOSE-G Directional Wave Sensor - which records stand-out wave heights, along with their duration and their direction - and the Turner Designs C3 Submersible Fluorometer, which assesses crude oil levels.

Wave Glider Unmanned Robots

The four Wave Glider unmanned robots were all launched from the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on 17 November 2011. Throughout their 300 day mission, they'll collect an estimated 2.5 million data points and make all of them readily-accessible to the scientific and environmental communities.

"Most of the ocean remains unexplored with less than 10 per cent of it mapped out", the manager of Ocean in Google Earth, Jenifer Austin Foulkes, explained in a Liquid Robotics press release published online. She continued: "This expedition creates an opportunity for students, marine researchers, and aspiring oceanographers to follow these brave Liquid Robotics ocean robots as they cross the Pacific virtually through the Ocean Showcase on the Google Earth website. They can also check back daily in Google Earth to see the latest posts from scientists communicating weather and climate data back from these ‘R2D2s' of the sea."

Unmanned Robot Sea Voyage

The unmanned robot sea voyage will initially see the Wave Gliders travel in a four-ship formation, subsequently splitting off into pairs when they reach Hawaii. Previously, they've been used for other environmental purposes, including monitoring the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

At the culmination of their eco-journey, they'll hopefully have travelled further than any other unmanned sea vehicle in history.

Enviro News will present further coverage of their progress in future News items.

Image copyright Liquid Robotics

See also:

SeaSwarm Autonomous Oil Spill Clean-Up Robot