Important Innovations

Harnessing Ocean Energy As A Power Source Source:  DARPA Sustainable Energy The concept of underwater energy harvesting by drones is being developed by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Agency DARPA.  This could not only revolutionize naval propulsion, particularly for drone submarines, by providing them a sustainable energy source.  But also, if the drones transport the harvested ocean energy to ships at sea, there would be far less need to return to port to refuel.  The time and energy efficiencies would be breakthrough. Manta Ray Project DARPA calls the program the Manta Ray Project.  It's goal is to develop unmanned underwater vehicles - drones - that can operate underwater for very long, extended periods of time, all the while harvesting the energy of the ocean as a power source.  Four companies have just been selected for the job.  Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Navtek LLC are working on the drones.  And Metron ...

New Underwater Breathing and Resting Space for Divers Ocean Space Habitat This is new ocean innovation.  Ocean Space Habitat is an underwater habitat with battery powered fans that provides divers with a place to breath freely without their mask and rest before continuing their diving and ocean exploration.  The innovators have a larger, more specialized "underwater tent" under development to serve as a research station for scientists and their equipment.  For a more detailed news blog on this go to Important Innovations Collection: Habitat Offers Undersea Shelter : New Underwater Breathing Space for Divers Source: Ocean Space Habitat Underwater Innovation The underwater, sheltering space is call...

Long Duration & Long Distance Sea Duty Source:  DARPA - The Angler Autonomous with No Need of GPS DARPA, the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency, is applying robotics developed for space and terrestrial exploring robots to a new undersea robotic system.  It's called The Angler. The Angler DARPA is developing an underwater robotic system that autonomously explores the sea floor.  It wants the robot to be capable of physically manipulating manmade objects that it encounters.  Put simply, it's developing highly advanced underwater robots. Robotic Innovation Some of the robotic innovations that will be incorporated into these sea exploring robots: Highly accurate navigations where's there is no GPS Perception and manipulation strategies to grasp objects Systems that allow the robot to know their location and the health of their own system. Current Limits Currently underwater operations are conducted by tethered, remotely controlled rob...