In 2003, businessman Joseph “Joe” Rizzi chose an unusual hobby for himself - recording humpback whale songs. With the help of his neighbor, he assembled a kayak, a battery, a hydrophone and a long cable to listen to the sounds of the ocean from the living room of his home on the Hawaiian coast. After much experimentation, Joseph's friend, engineer Robert Hine, created an unusual propulsion system.
Wave Glider is now an unmanned robot in the form of a surfboard that floats on the surface of the ocean, uses the energy of waves and the sun for its movement and is used by oil companies, scientists and the military in various missions around the world. In total, Liquid Robotics has produced about 350 copies of the glider.
The Wive Glider has a two-piece structure. The hull with the steering gear, lithium-ion batteries and solar panels is connected to the underwater frame by a cable 8 meters long. The frame wings oscillate "like a whale's tail" and give the drone a speed of about 2 km / h. An additional electric micromotor is used as a thruster in difficult situations. Good stability of the glider to storm conditions and the ability of autonomous navigation up to 1 year without maintenance are noted.
The electronic filling of the robot is based on an open platform from NVIDIA Jetson TK1. All platform modules (up to 7 units in a server rack) and batteries are located in carbon fiber and titanium alloy boxes. Communication with the control center is carried out via the Iridium satellite system. The glider can be controlled by the operator in real time, move according to the data of the navigation system and according to the results of processing information from the sensors.
Specifications Wave Glider SV3:
Body length: 290cm.
Case width: 67cm.
Body weight: 122kg.
Payload: up to 45kg.
Cargo compartment volume: 93 liters.
Solar panels power - up to 163W.
The main advantage of the open architecture is the variety of plug-ins and sensors: video cameras, weather stations, hydrophones, temperature sensors, magnetometers, underwater communication and acoustic search elements. For example, Schlumberger uses gliders to measure seismic activity, magnetic field and water quality in deep-water drilling areas, and find leaks during oil production and transportation. Marine drones help fight kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Of course, such capabilities of the Wave Glider could not go unnoticed by the military. Drones take part in NATO naval exercises and solve the following tasks: search for submarines, protection of ports and harbors, reconnaissance and surveillance, meteorology and communications. The presence of gliders was noted in the disputed areas of the South China Sea. As some experts write, "the missions that gliders can perform are limited by means and imagination." The cost of one Wave Glider is about $ 220,000, but in this amount, Liquid Robotics services for the maintenance and management of the glider take a significant part.
I will add that the family of autonomous underwater and surface self-propelled platforms is constantly expanding and improving. The Wave Glider is one of many, but a very prominent member of the marine drone fleet.
