Autonomous undersea gliders (no kidding!)

These amazing vehicles really are undersea gliders.

Link to NyTimes article: http://nyti.ms/17Q0j7V

Quote from the article:

"There are several models of submersible research drones on the market, but the Gliderpalooza fleet consists of propellerless Slocum Gliders, designed by the Teledyne Webb Research Corporation. They move by adjusting their buoyancy — taking on and expelling small amounts of water to rise and fall in the ocean. Two wings transform this up-and-down movement into forward momentum, propelling the robot in a continuous chain of swoops."

Here is a story from Popular Mechanics on the same technology
http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...?click=pm_news

If you want to buy a sea glider, here is the manufacturer's dope:
http://www.km.kongsberg.com/ks/web/n...C?OpenDocument

Back in the 50's or was it the 60's, some guy experimented with an aircraft he called an "aereon"....also called the "deltoid pumpkin seed".

Shaped exactly like a pumpkin seen (for aerodynamics) it supposedly propelled itself the same way as the undersea gliders, but in the atmosphere.....it used helium for buoyancy, and ballast,...so it ascended and descended, and "glided" forward. (dropping ballsat to climb, and venting gas to descend)

People claim to have seen this craft move forward into a 20 knot headwind! Others say it never happened...

I think they may have made a "powered with engine" version, (which defeated the whole purpose.)

They kind of then followed the idea of "wingless" lifting body aircraft, like the "aerup".

There was a book published titled "the deltoid pumpkin seed" which sort of explains this craft, and contains some of the claims of its flights.

My airplane Guru, Dick Lawson, claims to have seen the "Deltoid Pumpkin seed" in New jersey traveling on a trailer. He later purchased one of the "aerups" which was based in NJ....he never flew it..but I did make a 1/4 scale RC model of it, which we did fly. to try to learn about he handling characteristics..

Cookie











On Friday, December 13, 2013 12:40:59 AM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
These amazing vehicles really are undersea gliders.



Link to NyTimes article: http://nyti.ms/17Q0j7V



Quote from the article:



"There are several models of submersible research drones on the market, but the Gliderpalooza fleet consists of propellerless Slocum Gliders, designed by the Teledyne Webb Research Corporation. They move by adjusting their buoyancy — taking on and expelling small amounts of water to rise and fall in the ocean. Two wings transform this up-and-down movement into forward momentum, propelling the robot in a continuous chain of swoops."

On Friday, December 13, 2013 5:14:58 AM UTC-8, Cookie wrote:
Back in the 50's or was it the 60's, some guy experimented with an aircraft he called an "aereon"....also called the "deltoid pumpkin seed".



Shaped exactly like a pumpkin seen (for aerodynamics) it supposedly propelled itself the same way as the undersea gliders, but in the atmosphere......it used helium for buoyancy, and ballast,...so it ascended and descended, and "glided" forward. (dropping ballsat to climb, and venting gas to descend)



People claim to have seen this craft move forward into a 20 knot headwind! Others say it never happened...



I think they may have made a "powered with engine" version, (which defeated the whole purpose.)



They kind of then followed the idea of "wingless" lifting body aircraft, like the "aerup".



There was a book published titled "the deltoid pumpkin seed" which sort of explains this craft, and contains some of the claims of its flights.



My airplane Guru, Dick Lawson, claims to have seen the "Deltoid Pumpkin seed" in New jersey traveling on a trailer. He later purchased one of the "aerups" which was based in NJ....he never flew it..but I did make a 1/4 scale RC model of it, which we did fly. to try to learn about he handling characteristics..



Cookie























On Friday, December 13, 2013 12:40:59 AM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:

These amazing vehicles really are undersea gliders.







Link to NyTimes article: http://nyti.ms/17Q0j7V







Quote from the article:







"There are several models of submersible research drones on the market, but the Gliderpalooza fleet consists of propellerless Slocum Gliders, designed by the Teledyne Webb Research Corporation. They move by adjusting their buoyancy — taking on and expelling small amounts of water to rise and fall in the ocean. Two wings transform this up-and-down movement into forward momentum, propelling the robot in a continuous chain of swoops."

Here's a link to an interesting version that looks more like a conventional glider. It lacks some of the simplicity and ease of launching that the Slocum gliders have, but it looks really cool ;-) http://www.apl.washington.edu/projec...y/summary.html
Craig