SBIR/STTR Award attributes
The US Department of the Navy (DoN) is developing ocean environment sampling systems that can operate autonomously for long missions (up to six months), to collect and communicate real-time, in-situ data without requiring an expensive, dedicated ship. To generate accurate weather forecasts and climate predictions, ocean sampling systems must measure environmental parameters (e.g., pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction) at the air-sea boundary. To provide this accuracy, we propose the Smart Weather InstruMentS (SWIMS) systeman autonomous mobile surface buoy that measures the ocean surface and a tethered blimp that measures the adjacent air layer. A novel, wave-generated jet propulsion system propels the SWIMS buoy, and an automated winch system inside the buoy deploys the blimp. SWIMS transmits geo-registered meteorological data to a command and control (C2) station via a satellite communication link, makes decisions using a behavior-based autonomy software architecture, and maintains power during long missions by recharging its batteries with solar panels. SWIMS can provide the DoN with data on the complex interface between the ocean mixed layer, ocean surface, and adjacent air layer that is critical to the genesis of meteorological phenomena, data required to accurately predict global weather, climate, and the evolution of greenhouse gases.
