Silicon Valley Innovation May Revolutionize Oceanic Study

In Northern California’s renowned Silicon Valley, a team of innovators at Liquid Robotics have developed a robotic ocean glider that appears poised to revolutionize oceanic research. The Wave Gliders, about the size of surf boards, can travel for thousands of miles without the need to refuel, and they can measure everything from weather to oil slicks. Although other firms such as iRobot also make robots with sensors that are capable of sea travel, those devices were designed for work in a localized area. In contrast, the Wave Glider is intended to operate with limited supervision for many months, collecting data over vast areas of ocean. The key innovation of the Wave Glider lies in its ability to harness energy from its environment through its wave-based propulsion system and from solar panels. This allows the glider to be out in the field for extended periods of time without the need to dock and refuel. The gliders also make efficient use of the energy they harness by recording data using low-powered cell-phone chips and then transmitting this information via satellite to larger computers onshore for more complex analysis. Liquid Robotics is also working on networking the Wave Glider fleet so that the gliders can communicate with one another and thus collect data over larger stretches of ocean in a short time period to make their oceangoing missions even more efficient. At first glance, the cost of a Wave Glider may seem high. Liquid Robotics has sold Wave Gliders for more than $100,000 each and the daily cost for sending data ranges from $1000 to $3000. However, using a Wave Glider device can replace ships costing $50,000 to $100,000 a day to operate. Liquid Robotics reported that its last deployment of gliders covered a vast area of the Gulf of Mexico on behalf of BP for a fee of $1.5 million. Had BP taken the conventional route of using ships, the cost could have risen to $10.5 million. Liquid Robotics is starting a year-long publicity campaign by launching four Wave Gliders on a voyage across the Pacific. The robots will start their journey from the firm's headquarters in California and two will aim for Tokyo, and the other two for Sydney. For more information and photos of the device in an article from The New York Times, visit: http://tinyurl.com/chdchk5 Summary by: Thomas Wong