Autonomous underwater glider launched for five-year research mission

Rutgers University and the US technology company Teledyne Marine sent the autonomous underwater glider "Redwing" (Research and Education Doug Webb Inter-National Glid) on a five-year mission through the world's oceans on October 10, 2025. The plan is for the glider to circumnavigate the globe while researching the oceans.

"Redwing" essentially consists of a tubular hull made of carbon fiber, which houses the autonomous control unit and sensors for position and environmental data acquisition. Environmental data collected include water salinity, temperature, and depth. From the data obtained, scientists aim to create a 3D map to understand ocean currents and their influence on the atmosphere. The goal: to predict the intensity of hurricanes and heatwaves in the ocean, as well as changes in marine life, at an early stage. Also on board is a tracker for monitoring tagged marine animals, allowing for the tracking of migration movements, for example, of a whale.

Gliding for energy-efficient locomotion

The glider does not have a conventional propulsion system with a propeller. Instead, it uses the adjustment of its buoyancy during continuously repeating dives for locomotion. The drone descends at an angle of 26 degrees and a speed between 0.4 m/s and 1.5 m/s, then ascends again, covering a certain distance. This requires as little energy as possible for locomotion. The glider then repeatedly dives and ascends again.

Scientists estimate that the glider's onboard battery will last between one and two years before it needs to be recharged or replaced. This is the only way to achieve the long mission duration of several years.

The control of ascent and descent, as well as navigation, is autonomous. "Redwing" dives and surfaces within a time window of eight to twelve hours. The time at the water surface is used by the glider to send the collected data to the scientists via a satellite connection.

The autonomous glider was launched from the dock of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) south of Boston in the North Atlantic. From there, it is expected to move along the Gulf Stream towards Europe. It will then proceed to Gran Canaria, where it will make a stop.

In a further stage, it will go to Cape Town in South Africa. From there, "Redwing" is to cross the Indian Ocean and make a stop in Western Australia before continuing its journey towards New Zealand.

After that, it is scheduled to travel via the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to the Falkland Islands. From there, it is expected to return to WHOI via a stopover in Brazil or the Caribbean.

The entire research journey is expected to take approximately five years, according to the researchers. "Redwing" will then have circumnavigated the Earth in the world's oceans. Researchers envision that later, several of these gliders will continuously collect environmental data in the world's oceans.

(olb)