Robot glider launched with goal of going around the world

Photo provided by Teledyne Marine

WOODS HOLE – Teledyne Marine has successfully launched a next-generation robot glider with the goal of having it become the first autonomous underwater vehicle to circumnavigate the globe.

The Slocum Sentinel glider named Redwing was launched into the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month about 40 miles southeast of Woods Hole.

It was done in collaboration with Rutgers University.

The mission will last for five years.

The head of Teledyne says the mission will demonstrate the capability of sending these systems to the most remote areas of the ocean, gathering valuable scientific data, and hopefully inspire more people to join the research effort. 

“We are humbled by the scale of this mission. To send a glider around the globe, every detail must be world class — the design, the hardware and software, the support, and the people executing the mission. This is our moonshot!” said Brian Maguire, COO at Teledyne Marine.

The mission also aims to improve weather forecasting and our understanding of the causes of extreme weather events.

Redwing’s journey will take it across the Gulf Stream towards Europe, then south to Gran Canaria, onward to Cape Town, across the Indian Ocean to Australia and New Zealand, through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and eventually back to the Atlantic via the Falkland Islands, Brazil, and the Caribbean.

Teledyne is headquartered in California. They run Benthos, Oceanscience, Webb Research and SeaBotix in Falmouth. 

The Sentinel’s mission progress can be tracked by clicking here. Rutgers has also published a tracking map.