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

水下滑翔机是一种自主的水下交通工具，它在水平飞行时通过改变浮力来垂直飞行。在几个专家小组的掌握下，水下滑翔机已被证明是完全可操作的。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，使其能够为更广泛的用户所使用。实现这一目标的关键一步是向商业化生产、销售和客户支持过渡。这项工作的目标是形成从开发到商业可用性的无缝过渡。预期的结果是一个商业上可用的和受支持的Spray 2水下滑翔机，降低了新用户的进入门槛，并提供了更高水平的支持、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Spray 2水下滑翔机的发展。阻碍滑翔机广泛使用的因素之一是相对困难的服务。与所有海洋仪器一样，滑翔机的一个反复出现的问题是需要在实地进行小规模的翻新和维修。这项工作的一个目标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。目标是提高性能，通过测量范围通过水。第一代水下滑翔机的设计目的是通过流线型的形状和缓慢的移动来限制阻力，从而实现长时间的任务。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。开发的目标是创建一种模块化方法来集成新的传感器，并允许传感器占据滑翔机上的清洁流位置。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.