By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
A robot called Benjamin survived gale force storm with 26-foot waves, defied turbulent mid-ocean currents, crossed the thrashing Alenuihaha Channel and stayed on course, becoming Thursday the second vehicle of its kind to travel more than 3,200 nautical miles — without human assistance.
Liquid Robotics Inc. recovered its Wave Glider about five miles offshore from its facility at Kawaihae Harbor.
The company, based in Hawaii, California and Texas, was the first to develop this “mechanically simple, yet elegant” surfboard-looking robot propelled by the power of ocean waves, said Keith Kreider, Liquid Robotics’ vice president of marine operations.
Attached solar panels fuel its computers and sensors, allowing the Wave Glider to collect continuously and transmit real-time data for extended periods. It is helping hundreds of scientists observe the ocean in ways never before possible, Kreider said.
The first to earn the title for the longest distance traveled by an unmanned vehicle at sea was Fontaine Maru, another Wave Glider that beat the previous Guinness Book of World Record title holder on March 9. It did so with a missing front fin, modest barnacle coverage and very minimal cosmetic damage, Kreider said.
Benjamin and Fontaine Maru were among four Wave Gliders that Liquid Robotics launched Nov. 17, 2011, about a mile apart from each other in San Francisco Bay.
The Wave Gliders are named after a famous oceanographer or discoverer: Benjamin Franklin, Matthew Fontaine Maury, Jacques Piccard and Pius “Mau” Pialug. The other two Wave Gliders are expected to arrive early next week in Kawaihae, Kreider said.
“Every time one of the Wave Gliders passes another or gets closer to the Big Island, we get super pumped,” he said. “This has been an incredibly exciting venture.”
So far, there have been no collisions or recorded visits from wildlife. An operator in California can send a signal over the Internet to instantaneously alter the robot’s course, Kreider said.
Thursday’s milestone was the first stop along an epic 33,000-nautical mile journey, called the Pacific Crossing, or PacX, Challenge. After a checkup, the Wave Gliders will head next month to their final destinations: Australia and Japan.
During this portion of the record-breaking, scientific expedition, the first team of Wave Gliders, Piccard Maru and Fountain Maru, will cross the Mariana Trench and battle the Kuroshio Current to Japan. The second team, Benjamin and Papa Mau, will cross the equator heading to Australia. Liquid Robotics anticipates the arrivals will occur in late 2012 or early 2013.
“We are proud our PacX Wave Gliders have reached their first destination and broken the world record,” said Edward Lu, Liquid Robotics Chief of Innovative Applications. “I have no doubt new ocean discoveries, insights, and applications will emerge from the PacX data set.”
Eric Brager, Liquid Robotics test and evaluation manager, never doubted the Wave Gliders could navigate the sea for months. Prior to this challenge, he said a Wave Glider circumnavigated Hawaii Island. Two robots completed a 2,750-mile trip from Hawaii to San Diego in 79 days. One traveled from Baja California to Alaska and back in severe weather, which included 21-foot seas and 50 knot winds.
The first Wave Glider was sold in 2009. The entire fleet has cumulatively been at sea for more than 11 years and covered more than 100,000 miles.
The 250-pound Wave Gliders move up to 2 knots, powered by a submerged glider with wing-shaped panels, sort of resembling Venetian blinds, that’s connected to the 7-foot surface vessel by a 22-foot cable.
The wings, or fins, tilt up when the craft is lifted by a wave, rising through the water and pulling it forward.
On a down wave, the wings sink and tilt downward, pulling the craft forward. If a wave is large, the glider is pulled under water and moves through it, the way a surfer dives under a wave to avoid its full force, Kreider said.