Liquid Robotics Debuts New Version of Wave Glider.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin
• Position: Global Defense

The next-generation Wave Glider--an unmanned surface vehicle that can traverse the surface of the ocean--will be able to collect intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data in rougher waters, for longer periods of time and while carrying more payloads, said a Liquid Robotics executive.

Deliveries of the updated system started in October, said Becky Tanner, vice president of marketing for the company.

"The next-generation platform is built on the existing success of the previous version," she said during an interview at the Defence and Security Equipment International Conference in London. "We've continued to advance the platform even further and we're finding that our customers more and more need the ability to go anywhere."

That includes operating in challenging conditions, such as higher latitudes and higher sea states, for extended periods of time, Tanner added.

Physically, the vehicle looks much the same in terms of size and design; however, it now comes with a special, anti-biofouling copper coating that makes it easier to remove barnacles from the vessel.

"The copper color does patine quite quickly," she said. "For our defense customers who remain very focused on being hard to detect out at water, once it patines, it blends in very well with the water [and turns]...