Spray 2.0: Development and technology transition of a next-generation underwater glider

水下滑翔机是一种自主水下航行器，通过改变浮力垂直飞行，同时在机翼上水平飞行。在少数专家小组的手中，水下滑翔机已被证明是完全可行的。然而，这项技术对新用户来说具有挑战性，限制了水下滑翔机观测对海洋科学的影响。该提案的总体目标是开发下一代水下滑翔机，供更广泛的用户使用。实现这一目标的关键一步是向商业生产、销售和客户支持过渡。这项工作的目标是实现从开发到商业可用性的无缝过渡。预期的结果是一个商业化的和支持的喷雾2水下滑翔机，降低了新用户的进入门槛，更高水平的支持，文档和用户级软件工具。 这将减少成功操作滑翔机所需的技能，并提高研究成果。一些技术目标将指导喷雾2水下滑翔机的发展。阻碍滑翔机广泛使用的因素之一是维修相对困难。与所有海洋学仪器一样，滑翔机经常出现的一个问题是需要在实地进行小型翻新和维修。这一努力的目的是通过使电池和传感器等部件更容易更换来简化维修。滑翔机的效率肯定是通过更大的耐力任务来实现的。一个目标是提高性能，通过水的范围测量。第一代水下滑翔机被设计成通过流线型形状限制阻力并缓慢移动来实现长时间任务。对光滑形状的要求限制了传感器的有效载荷。下一代滑翔机将使携带传感器的能力成为其设计的核心。开发的一个目标是创建一个模块化的方法来集成新的传感器，并允许传感器占据的位置上的滑翔机与访问干净的流。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Underwater gliders are autonomous underwater vehicles that profile vertically by changing buoyancy while flying horizontally on wings. In the hands of a few expert groups, underwater gliders have proved to be fully operational. However, the technology is challenging for new users, limiting the impact of underwater glider observations on ocean sciences. The overarching goal of this proposal is to develop a next-generation underwater glider that will be accessible to a wider range of users. A critical step toward this goal is the transition to commercial production, sales, and customer support. An objective of this effort is to fashion a seamless transition from development to commercial availability. The anticipated outcome is a commercially available and supported Spray 2 underwater glider, with lowered barriers to entry for new users, and higher levels of support, documentation, and user-level software tools. This will reduce the set of skills necessary to successfully operate the glider, and improve research outcomes.A number of technical objectives will guide the development of the Spray 2 underwater glider. One of the factors holding back the wider use of gliders is the relative difficulty of service. A recurring issue with gliders, as with all oceanographic instruments, is the need for minor refurbishment and repair in the field. An objective of this effort is to ease servicing by making such components as batteries and sensors simpler to swap. Efficiency for gliders is surely achieved through missions with greater endurance. An objective is to enhance performance as measured by range through water. First-generation underwater gliders were designed to achieve long duration missions by limiting drag through a streamlined shape, and by moving slowly. The requirement for a smooth shape puts limitations on the sensor payload. Next-generation gliders will make the ability to carry sensors more central to their design. An objective of the development is to create a modular approach to the integration of new sensors, and to allow sensors to occupy locations on the glider with access to clean flow.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.