These robotic boats are sent straight into the eye of a hurricane

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Saildrone manufactures autonomous ocean-going vessels to study the environment. This summer, the Silicon Valley startup sent five of its ships directly into the path of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. While planes can get through hurricanes, the howling winds lift waves so huge that it’s best to avoid trying to sail boats through them.

Saildrone’s ships are unmanned and built to survive hurricane winds and huge waves. Scientists are excited that ships can improve our understanding of storm intensity.

“If you are in the center of a hurricane at this type of wind speed, the ocean is just this big foamy mess right where the water begins and the air ends,” said Chris Meinig, director National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Engineering. CNN Affairs. “I can’t imagine voluntarily piloting a plane or a ship in a hurricane. I’d much rather send those robots out there and have them do their jobs.”

Saildrone has a partnership with NOAA to study the formation of hurricanes, including their rapid intensification. Hurricane Ida, which hit the Gulf Coast before recently making its way to the northeast, went from a Category 1 storm to a Category 4 storm in less than 24 hours.

Saildrone’s ships are 23 feet long and are equipped with four cameras. They measure the wind as well as the temperature of the ocean and the air.

Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins told CNN Business they focused their attention on spray and foam on the water during a hurricane. They want to understand how energy and heat are exchanged between the ocean and the atmosphere. The data is relayed in real time to Saildrone’s offices in Alameda, Calif., He said.

“No one has ever observed what happens to the waves of foam spray in the center of the hurricane. So we’re hoping to be able to see with the camera what the water looks like,” Jenkins said.

Saildrone told CNN Business that her five ships have so far survived the hurricane season. The drones are in the Atlantic Ocean, so they weren’t on the path of Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico, which recently killed at least 78 people in Louisiana and the northeast, but Saildrone has said he also planned to study storms in the Pacific Ocean. .

Saildrone and NOAA have previously studied ocean conditions near Alaska. Saildrone told CNN Business it has traveled more than 500,000 miles to date and claims that in 2019 it became the first unmanned vehicle to circle Antarctica.

Saildrone’s other clients include NASA, the US Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, and universities. Saildrone has built around 100 ships and plans to build more, including larger vehicles.

Jenkins said climate concerns motivate his team.

“The oceans really determine our global weather and climate,” Jenkins said. “Understanding the rate of change is really going to give us a deep insight into our future and how we might need to change things. “

Rachel Crane contributed to this report.

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