An autonomous surface vehicle built by Liquid Robotics, purchased and outfitted with sensors and communications gear by MBARI engineering.

Liquid Robotics provides a web-based application, WGMS, which allows waypoints and mission plans to be entered and sent to the Wave Glider. The Wave Glider has a surfboard-like float at the surface and a sub with spring loaded paddles that uses wave energy for motion. It has solar panels on the float for supplying power to the linux-based computers, science instruments and communications gear. It has GPS for precise location measurement and weather station along with a collection of antennas for communications. The SV3 is capable of automatically avoiding ships.

One of MBARI’s Wavegliders at sea in Monterey Bay. Wavegliders are autonomous surface vehicles propelled by wave power. They can remain at sea for weeks or months at a time, carrying a variety of scientific instruments. Note western gull on solar panel for scale.

MBARI and Liquid Robotics have had a collaborative supplier-customer relationship since 2010 when Liquid Robotics fielded their engineering development version of the SV2 Wave Glider during the Fall CANON field campaign. MBARI also has a collaborative relationship with the Jupiter Foundation, the research group that came up with the Wave Glider concept. MBARI leased a SV2 in 2012 and then purchased and took delivery of the first customer shipment of the new SV3 in January 2014.

Wave Gliders to date have been named for the crew on the historic Ricketts/Steinbeck Western Flyer cruise as a tribute to Mr. Packard who named the MBARI ship Research Vessel Western Flyer.

Additional Information

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