Wave Gliders
I have the habit of briefly glancing through the Weekly Notice to Mariners for things that might pertain to safe navigation around here, with the hope of avoiding any surprises. The Weekly Notice is not known for going into great detail, and they were true to form with their notice about being on the lookout for a Wave Glider operating in the Gulf of Mexico.
We are gratefully familiar with the benefits of modern marine technology, including the real-time meteorological information that is available from NOAA and the Data Buoy's — especially during tropical storm season. And, it so happens that being neighbors to several Air Force and Navy Special Ops research facilities, we're used to having all kind of weird stuff being operated over, under, and on the surface of the ocean around here. But, what is a Wave Glider?
Well, it's a technology that has been around for at least 5 years; long enough to have made one 9,000 mile trip, plus a trip from Hawaii to California on its own power. On April 13, 2011, NOAA deployed their first Wave Glider. If you have the slightest amount of gear-head in your blood, you'll appreciate this thing.
The assembly consists of a floating hull (Float) with a submerged propulsion unit (Sub) on a tether that is about 23' below the surface. A rising wave lifts the Float, causing the tethered Sub to rise. The articulated wings on the Sub are pressed down and the upward motion of the Sub becomes an up-and-forward motion, in turn pulling the Float forward and off the wave. This causes the Sub to drop, the wings pivot up, and the Sub moves down-and-forward. This process is repeated again and again as long as there is wave motion on the surface, even the smallest amount.
The following video shows an underwater view of the "Sub" propulsion unit.
I've been around the ocean long enough to know that theory and practice don't always coincide when it comes to new technology. It will be interesting to see how the Crustacea, fish, algae. and other marine life will welcome this new techno-critter into their environment. We'll see.
-fl