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T he Wave Glider is a remote control ocean robot, which uses wave motion as propulsion. As an autonomous marine vehicle, the Wave Glider is capable of conducting detailed meteorological and oceanographic surveys across large distances and un- der the most extreme wind and sea conditions. Since its inception, the Wave Glider has seen the roles it is ca- pable of undertaking greatly expanded, with the Wave Glider becoming a key Metocean measurement asset for research institutes, academia, shipping compa- nies, government agencies and oil companies. Marine Technology Reporter’s Contributing Editor Claudio Paschoa spoke with Sudhir Pai, Vice President, Tech- nology and Operations of Liquid Robotics Oil and Gas (LROG), a joint venture with Schlumberger, about the qualities and capabilities of the Wave Glider. The Wave Gliders are in a distinctly different class of AUVs from previous gliders in that they are wave-propelled with continuous diurnal solar panel support of electrical systems. A sensor platform like the Wave Glider is capable of detecting solid data at depths where satellites data is unreliable. Sud- hir explains the vision behind the design of the Wave Glider and how its development process occurred, “The Wave Glider development began out of a man’s passion for whale songs. Joe Rizzi, Chairman, Jupiter Research Foundation, had a love for the sounds of whales as they migrated along the coasts of Hawai’i to Alaska. In order to capture their songs live, he en- listed Roger Hine, a mechanical engineer and robotics expert, to help develop an unmoored, station-keeping data buoy. A joint venture then began between Joe and Roger Hine. The initial prototyping and early testing was from approximately 2003 - 2008. Development of the fi rst commercially available system followed in 2009 with extensive sea trials and broad market sales in 2010,” said Sudhir Pai. Wave Glider – Ocean Monitoring in Motion By Claudio Pascoa Image above: Wave Glider SV3 underwater view. Photo cour tesy of LR OG-SLB September 2014 36 MTR MTR #7 (34-49).indd 36 8/27/2014 9:32:07 AM
