Liquid Robotics’ Wave Gliders Begin Historic Swim Across Pacific
But if it were easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting, say Liquid Robots executives. The point, explains Graham Hine, senior vice president of operations, is to “push the boundaries of science, and prove to the world that this type of technology is ready to increase our understanding of the ocean.” (Hine names the crafts in honor of great explorers in the video above.)
The data from the fleet of robots is being streamed via the Iridium satellite network and made freely available—in an accessible form on Google Earth’s Ocean Showcase, and in a more complete form to researchers who register. Liquid Robotics is eager to see what the scientific community does with all the data—so eager, that it’s asking for project abstracts, and will give a prize to the top five proposals—six months use of a Wave Glider optimized to collect whatever information the winner needs.