Russian scientists from the University of Gosmortekh (St. Petersburg) have developed an unmanned surface hydrometeorological vehicle for the Russian Navy, moving by waves and consuming virtually no energy. Its potential battery life is six months. The main task of the latest development will be hydrometeorological observations in the oceans for the benefit of the military. AiF.ru found out how the army can use the device.
3D model of the wave glider. Photo: YouTube Frame/Liquid Robotics
Unmanned Surface Vehicle & mdash; this is a whole new kind of marine technology. In essence, this is a wave glider with an unconventional motion pattern that runs on wave energy. The wing system plans into the water column, and due to the up and down movement of the wave, a forward thrust is formed. This system shoots for & nbsp; itself all the surface structure associated with & nbsp; its cable. In case the sea is not rough, the drone has auxiliary motors and a solar battery. Thus, the device is able to operate autonomously almost indefinitely, although the manufacturer recommends limiting its presence at sea to six months. With a longer lifespan, the drone can become overgrown with algae, a layer of salt forms on the body, which reduces the efficiency of the device.
The drone can replace the traditional buoys ejected from the ship. The main task of the wave glider will be the so-called hydrometeorological support, and then & nbsp; is the measurement of temperature, pressure, salinity and wind direction & nbsp; & mdash; important parameters, on which the actions of groups of ships and the use of weapons depend. For this, the device will be thrown into a certain area, where it will be designated as a patrol location. Then the device will follow the path set with & nbsp; will speed up to two nodes and & nbsp; in & nbsp; will transmit data to & nbsp; tracking stations.
The weather in & nbsp; sea may change to & nbsp; in a few hours, sometimes in & nbsp; a few minutes. And & nbsp; this can be reflected, for example, on the speed of the ship and & nbsp; its ability to shoot. Therefore, it is always important to know the actual situation in the & nbsp; water area in & nbsp; water and & nbsp; in & nbsp; air. This also applies to the situation where the ships are in the base area and performing a combat mission. The drone can be launched with & nbsp; with the help of aviation on & nbsp; the planned routes of the ships, and & nbsp; also in & nbsp; combat mission areas. These robotic systems will transmit weather information in real time. Thanks to such devices, the leadership of the Russian Navy will be able to carefully monitor the weather conditions in the areas of operation of warships. These robots will allow you to control the real water situation, and & nbsp; means more careful planning of the ship's maneuvers, and & nbsp; also use weapons with & nbsp; more precisely, as the expert explained.