In a World First, Autonomous Robot Glider to Circle the Globe in Historic Ocean Mission

An underwater vehicle named Redwing will be launched in a Teledyne Marine-Rutgers project to collect data for ocean science and weather forecasting

Guided by the rhythms of the sea and the promise of discovery, Teledyne Marine and Rutgers University will set Redwing, an autonomous underwater vehicle, on its journey on Friday, Oct. 10, leading to its launch into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Marine scientists tested Redwing before the official launch.

The launch marks the beginning of a five-year mission for "Redwing," the most advanced commercial subsea glider ever developed, to become the first underwater robot to circumnavigate the globe.

"We live on an ocean planet," said Oscar Schofield, one of the mission's scientific leads who heads the Rutgers team with fellow oceanographer Scott Glenn. "All weather and climate are regulated by the ocean. This mission will give us another tool we need to achieve real understanding."

Redwing, a next-generation Slocum Sentinel Glider, will collect data, dodge fishing nets and surf powerful ocean currents. It will do all of this without a human being onboard. The mission is meant to inspire the next generation of robotic engineers and to show what is possible with modern robotic technology.

"This is a historic moment for ocean science," says Rutgers oceanographer Scott Glenn, mission co-leader.

"This is a truly historic mission," said Brian Maguire, chief operating officer at Teledyne Marine. "It will pave the way for a future where a global fleet of autonomous underwater gliders continuously gather data from the oceans. These will deliver early warnings of extreme weather and will track the impact of shifting ocean currents so that we can refine long-term climate projections in a way that scientists have dreamed of for decades."

Redwing is no ordinary glider. It's larger, faster and more powerful than its predecessors, with a carbon fiber hull. It moves not with a propeller, but by adjusting its buoyancy, sinking and rising in a graceful zigzag pattern that conserves energy.

Redwing's first leg of its journey will see it ride the Gulf Stream from south of Martha's Vineyard toward Europe, before sweeping south to stop at Gran Canaria off the coast of Northwest Africa. Its next leg will take it to Cape Town in South Africa, before crossing the Indian Ocean to stop at West Australia, then on to New Zealand. It will then navigate the Antarctic Circumpolar Current - the most powerful on Earth - taking it on its longest leg to the Falkland Islands. From there it may stop in Brazil and the Caribbean before heading back to where it started.

"This is a historic moment for ocean science," said mission co-leader Glenn, a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciencesin the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. "We're deploying a robot that will travel the world's oceans, gathering data. And we're doing it with students, educators and international collaborators every step of the way."

The name Redwing, an acronym for Research and Education Doug Webb Inter-National Glider, is intended to recognize Rutgers' scarlet-themed school colors and to memorialize the late Doug Webb, the scientist and entrepreneur who invented the Slocum glider and founded Webb Research, the predecessor organization that became Teledyne Marine, in Falmouth, Mass. The late inventor's motto, "Work hard, have fun and change the world" is now the guiding spirit of the Redwing mission.

Webb supported the work of Rutgers students for decades. They will play a crucial role in the mission, developing flight tools, navigational software and storytelling content throughout the journey.

"We live on an ocean planet," says Rutgers oceanographer Oscar Schofield, mission co-lead, whose research often extends to Antarctica.

Redwing will begin its journey from the dock of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the world's leading independent ocean science, technology and engineering organization. Here Webb began his career and undertook work that led to the development of early gliders. Today, WHOI operates the second largest glider fleet in the world and, along with colleagues at Teledyne, Rutgers and elsewhere, uses them to conduct climate research, monitor ocean health and support protection of endangered species such as the North Atlantic right whale.

Redwing has a sensor that measures three things: how salty the water is, how warm it is and how deep it goes. These measurements will help scientists understand how the ocean moves and how it affects the atmosphere.

"We've scaled our product to give it more capability," said Shea Quinn, Glider Product Line Manager and Sentinel Mission Lead. "This glider has the endurance and energy to do more than any other vehicle could. It's designed to stay out there for a year or two at a time."

By diving to different depths, Redwing will give scientists a three-dimensional view of the ocean. This will help them predict things such as hurricane intensity, heat waves in the ocean and changes in marine life.

Redwing moves not with a propeller, but by adjusting its buoyancy, sinking and rising in a graceful zigzag pattern that conserves energy.

Redwing will transmit real-time data to scientists via satellite every eight to twelve hours. It also will carry a fish tracker that can detect tagged marine animals in the open ocean, offering rare glimpses into migration patterns. The glider will check in with scientists every time it comes up to the surface via satellite. If it can't connect, the vessel just keeps going.

The mission isn't just about science, the researchers said. It's also about education. More than 50 undergraduates are enrolled in a research class taught by Glenn and Schofield that tracks Redwing's progress and blogs about its discoveries.

The mission also will connect classrooms around the world where students from those regions will join virtual sessions, share cultural stories and even exchange letters with the Rutgers students.

This global classroom initiative builds on a legacy of student involvement in groundbreaking ocean missions.

In 2009, a team of scientists and students led by Glenn and Schofield launched an underwater robot called Scarlet Knight across the Atlantic Ocean. It traveled more than 7,300 miles in 221 days, collecting ocean data and avoiding obstacles. Rutgers students controlled it remotely, and it became the first underwater robot to cross the Atlantic, landing in Baiona, Spain, where Columbus's crew once returned from North America.

Explore more of the ways Rutgers research is shaping the future.