These robotic ships are sent directly into the eye of a hurricane

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Saildrone manufactures autonomous ocean-going ships to study the environment. This summer, the Silicon Valley startup sent five of its ships directly to the hurricane path in the Atlantic Ocean. While planes can fly through hurricanes, the striking winds shoot such huge waves that it’s best to avoid trying to navigate directly with boats.

Saildrone ships are unmanned and built to survive hurricane winds and huge waves. Scientists are excited that ships can improve our understanding of how storms intensify.

“If you’re in the middle of a hurricane with this kind of wind speed, the ocean is just that big frothy mess where the water starts and the air ends,” said the director of engineering at the Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Chris Meinig. CNN Business. “I can’t imagine intentionally flying a plane or a ship in a hurricane. I’d rather send these robots there and get them to do their job.”

Saildrone has a partnership with NOAA to study how hurricanes form, including their rapid intensification. Hurricane Ida, which hit the Gulf Coast before traveling recently to the northeast, went from a Category 1 to Category 4 storm in less than 24 hours.

Saildrone boats are 23 meters long and have four cameras. They measure wind and ocean and air temperature.

Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins told CNN Business that they focused their attention on spray and foam on the water during a hurricane. They want to understand how energy and heat are exchanged between the ocean and the atmosphere. The data is relayed to the offices of Saildrone’s Alameda, California, in real time, he said.

“No one has ever watched what happens to the waves of foam to spray in the center of the hurricane. So hopefully we can see with the camera what the water is like,” Jenkins said.

Saildrone told CNN Business that all five ships have survived the hurricane season so far. The drones are in the Atlantic Ocean, so they were not in the path of Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed at least 78 people throughout Louisiana and the northeast recently, but Saildrone said who also plans to study storms in the Pacific Ocean. .

Saildrone and NOAA have previously studied ocean conditions near Alaska. Saildrone told CNN Business that it has sailed more than 500,000 miles to date and claims that in 2019 it became the first unmanned vehicle to circumnavigate Antarctica.

Other Saildrone clients include NASA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense, and universities. Saildrone has manufactured nearly 100 ships and plans to manufacture more, including larger vehicles.

Jenkins said he cared about his team’s weather.

“The oceans are really driving our climate and global climate,” Jenkins said. “Understanding the pace of change will really give us a deep insight into our future and how we might have to change things.”

Rachel Crane contributed to this report.

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