First Unmanned, Underwater Robot to Cross An Ocean Highlighted at Smithsonian Ocean Hall

Posted on January 12, 2011

Rutgers scientists and students launched the trans-Atlantic glider, dubbed “the Scarlet Knight” in honor of the school’s mascot, off the New Jersey coast in April 2009. Puertos Del Estado (the Spanish Port Authority) helped IOOS scientists recover the glider near Spain in December. They brought it ashore in the small town of Baiona, where Christopher Columbus’ ship, the Pinta, landed with news of the New World more than 500 years ago.

The glider traveled a total of 7,409.6 kilometers (4,604 miles) over 221 days, reaching Baiona on December 9, 2009. In still water, the glider flies about 0.5 knots (about 0.58 miles per hour). Ocean currents can speed up or slow down the progress.

“Gliders sample the ocean in places it is impractical to send people and at a fraction of the cost,” said Zdenka Willis, director of the U.S. IOOS Program. “Using robots to collect scientific data is the wave of the future in terms of ocean observing.”

Gliders collect data such as temperature, salinity, currents, and density that describe conditions below the surface of the sea and at varying depths.

As part of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill response effort, IOOS partners deployed a fleet of gliders equipped with sensors to help indicate the presence of oil. Although scientists must still confirm the oil through water sampling, the gliders narrowed the search zone for subsurface oil.