Liquid Robotics

Last updated
Liquid Robotics
Company type Subsidiary
Founded2007;17 years ago (2007)
Headquarters Herndon, Virginia and Kamuela, Hawaii, US
Key people
Graham Hine (CEO)
ProductsWave Glider and associated services
Parent Boeing
Website https://www.liquid-robotics.com

Liquid Robotics is an American marine robotics corporation that designs, manufactures and sells the Wave Glider, a wave and solar powered unmanned surface vehicle (USV). [1] The Wave Glider harvests energy from ocean waves for propulsion. With this energy source, Wave Gliders can spend many months at a time at sea, collecting and transmitting ocean data. [2]

Contents

The vehicles host sensor payloads such as: atmospheric and oceanographic sensors applicable to ocean and climate science, seismic sensors for earthquake and tsunami detection, and video cameras and acoustic sensors for security and marine environment protection purposes. [3]

The company was founded in 2007 in Sunnyvale, California. [4] In December 2016, the company was acquired by The Boeing Company and is a wholly owned subsidiary, part of Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security organization. [5] In February 2022 the company relocated to Herndon, Virginia. [6]

History

The Wave Glider was originally invented to record the singing of humpback whales and transmit the songs back to shore. In 2003, Joe Rizzi, Chairman, Jupiter Research Foundation, set out with the goal to design a system that could hold its position at sea—even if it wasn’t anchored in place—and operate 24/7 without harming the environment or the whales. [7]

After a few years of experimenting, he enlisted the Hine family to help develop an unmoored, station-keeping data buoy. Roger Hine, a mechanical engineer and robotics expert from Stanford University, spent a year on the project experimenting with different designs and energy sources. In 2005, he invented the Wave Glider and in January 2007, Roger Hine and Joe Rizzi co-founded Liquid Robotics. [8]

In January 2009, endurance testing began when a Wave Glider completed a nine-day circumnavigation of Hawaii's Big Island. Later that year a pair of Wave Gliders travelled from Hawai’i to San Diego, an 82-day trip that covered more than 2,500 miles. Since then Wave Gliders have travelled over 1.4 million nautical miles over the course of over 32,000 vehicle-days at sea. [9]

In September 2014, Liquid Robotics entered partnership with The Boeing Company for the purpose of advancing maritime surveillance. [10] Over the next three years, the two companies worked on integrating unmanned systems to provide a seafloor to space communications capability for anti-submarine warfare. During the Unmanned Warrior 2016 exercise hosted by the Royal British Navy, Boeing and Liquid Robotics demonstrated for the first time a network of persistent USVs that detected, reported and tracked a live diesel submarine. [11] On December 6, 2016, Boeing acquired Liquid Robotics. [12]

Wave Glider

Architecture

The Wave Glider is composed of two parts: the ‘’float’’, roughly the size and shape of a large surfboard, travels on the surface of the ocean; the ‘’sub’’ or wing rack hangs below on an umbilical tether 13–26 feet (4–8 meters) long and is equipped with a rudder for steering and a thruster for additional thrust during extreme conditions (doldrums or high currents). The Wave Glider leverages the difference in motion between the ocean surface and the calmer water below to create forward propulsion. No fuel is required for operation which enables it to stay at sea for long durations. [13]

Next Generation Wave Glider

On September 7, 2017, Liquid Robotics announced the Next Generation Wave Glider with advancements to the platform’s operational range, and performance for missions in high sea states (sea state 6 and greater) and high latitudes. Changes include advancements for expanded sensor payloads and increased energy and storage capacity required for long duration maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring and observation missions. [14]

Solar panels recharge batteries which supply the power for the onboard sensor payloads, communications, computing, and enables a thruster propulsion system that provides additional navigational thrust for challenging ocean conditions (doldrums through high seas). The vehicle can be programmed for autonomous operation, or it can be piloted remotely. Communication is provided via satellite, BGAN, cellular or Wi-Fi links for piloting and data transmission.

Software

The Wave Glider software is built on open standards and composed of two parts:

Wave Glider markets and missions

Wave Gliders are used for defense, maritime surveillance, commercial, oil and gas, and science and research applications. Examples include:

Since 2007, Wave Gliders have been deployed in many areas of the global ocean, from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean. [16] They've been used to track great white sharks by Dr. Barbara Block of Hopkins Marine Station, [17] patrol marine protected areas (MPAs) for the United Kingdom’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office to protect against illegal fishing [18] and assessed the health of the Great Barrier Reef and ecosystems. [19] Additionally, they’ve collected and transmitted data through extreme storms [20] and detected a live diesel submarine during the Unmanned Warrior exercise conducted in October of 2016. [21]

Guinness World Record

In 2013 Liquid Robotics was awarded the Guinness World Record for the "longest journey by an autonomous, unmanned surface vehicle on the planet". [22] The Wave Glider, named Benjamin Franklin, travelled farther than any other unmanned autonomous surface vehicle – over 7939 nautical miles (14,703 km) on an autonomous journey of just over one-year. The Wave Glider’s route traveled across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco, CA to Bundaberg, Queensland Australia arriving on 14 February 2013.

The Digital Ocean

The Digital Ocean is an initiative originated by Liquid Robotics to collaboratively establish the data collection and communications infrastructure needed to support the Internet of Things for the ocean. The vision for the Digital Ocean is a networked ocean connecting billions of sensors, manned and unmanned systems, and satellites above. [23] The goal of the project is to address issues facing the ocean as noted in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #14 and to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.


Strategic Advisory Board

Liquid Robotics established the Strategic Advisory Board in September 2011. The distinguished board of advisors include: [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DARPA</span> Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remotely operated underwater vehicle</span> A tethered underwater mobile device operated by a remote crew

A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other general tasks within the subsea oil and gas industry, military, scientific and other applications. ROVs can also carry tooling packages for undertaking specific tasks such as pull-in and connection of flexible flowlines and umbilicals, and component replacement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survey vessel</span> Type of research vessel

A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpose, modified for the purpose or temporarily put into the service as a vessel of opportunity, and may be crewed, remotely operated, or autonomous. The size and equipment vary to suit the task and availability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous underwater vehicle</span> Uncrewed underwater vehicle with autonomous guidance system

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is a robot that travels underwater without requiring continuous input from an operator. AUVs constitute part of a larger group of undersea systems known as unmanned underwater vehicles, a classification that includes non-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) – controlled and powered from the surface by an operator/pilot via an umbilical or using remote control. In military applications an AUV is more often referred to as an unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). Underwater gliders are a subclass of AUVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwater glider</span> Type of autonomous underwater vehicle

An underwater glider is a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that employs variable-buoyancy propulsion instead of traditional propellers or thrusters. It employs variable buoyancy in a similar way to a profiling float, but unlike a float, which can move only up and down, an underwater glider is fitted with hydrofoils that allow it to glide forward while descending through the water. At a certain depth, the glider switches to positive buoyancy to climb back up and forward, and the cycle is then repeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific</span> Echelon III activity of the United States Navy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned underwater vehicle</span> Submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also known as uncrewed underwater vehicles and underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). ROUVs are remotely controlled by a human operator. AUVs are automated and operate independently of direct human input.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unmanned surface vehicle</span> Vehicle that operates on the surface of the water without a crew

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References

  1. ↑ Woody, Todd (19 March 2013). "We welcome our new solar-powered, ocean-going robot overlords". quartz.com. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Park, Andy (6 December 2012). "Wave-powered Robot arrives in Australia" . Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  3. ↑ Dillow, Clay (11 April 2013). "Drones come to the high seas" . Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "RBR Companies-Liquid Robotics" . Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  5. ↑ Masunaga, Samantha (6 December 2016). "Boeing to acquire ocean drone maker Liquid Robotics".
  6. ↑ "Liquid Robotics Relocates Headquarters to Herndon, Virginia". Liquid Robotics. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Bereznak, Alyssa (28 April 2015). "Meet the Wave Glider, the Pentagon's secret drone". Yahoo.com.
  8. ↑ "Roger Hine". National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  9. ↑ "Connecting Seafloor to Space". www.liquid-robotics.com.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Terdiman, Daniel (23 September 2014). "Hundreds of floating robots could soon surveil the oceans". CNET.
  11. ↑ Nicholas, Scott (31 October 2016). "Boeing-Liquid Robotics Team Demos Persistent USVs in Live Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission". ExecutiveBiz.
  12. ↑ Stynes, Tess; Cameron, Doug (6 December 2016). "Boeing agrees to acquire Liquid Robotics". Wall Street Journal.
  13. ↑ "Liquid Robotics shows its Wave Glider". LA Times.
  14. ↑ Firth, Jake (8 September 2017). "Seaworthy robot vessel for high latitude work". maritimejournal.com. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  15. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (8 April 2013). "Liquid Robotics launches new generation of wave glider ocean robots".
  16. ↑ Pitamber, Priya (11 February 2016). "Robotic gliders boost for ocean research". www.brandsouthafrica.com.
  17. ↑ Carey, Bjorn (23 August 2012). "Stanford's new surfing robot opens ocean to exploration".
  18. ↑ "Wave Glider Swims 2800 nautical miles to Hawaii". Energy Global News. 9 July 2016. Archived from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Nott, George (12 October 2017). "The surfing robot helping to save the Great Barrier Reef". www.computerworld.com.au. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  20. ↑ Hornyak, Tim (22 July 2014). "Seafaring robot shrugs off monster Typhoon Rammasun". ITWorld.
  21. ↑ Nicholas, Scott (31 October 2016). "Boeing-Liquid Robotics Team Demos Persistent USVs in Live Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission". ExecutiveBiz.
  22. ↑ "Longest journey by an unmanned autonomous surface vehicle". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  23. ↑ Tadjdeh, Yasmin (22 May 2017). "Digital Ocean' Concept Could Connect Sensors at Sea".
  24. ↑ "Strategic Advisory Board". www.liquid-robotics.com.[ permanent dead link ]
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