An ocean drone coursing through the eyewall of Category 4 Hurricane Sam on September 30, 2021, has broken a Guinness World Record for reaching the highest wind speed ever recorded by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). Named Saildrone Explorer SD 1045, it was designed in collaboration with Saildrone and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, also known as: the discoverers of a mysterious golden orb) to monitor environmental conditions.
The autonomous vehicle doesn’t require a crew to navigate the 7-meter (23-foot) Saildrone through the high seas. Its explorations can last up to a year, and they are powered by a 5-meter (15-foot) rigid sail. Such data collection tools are vital because they can improve our capacity to forecast the weather, meaning that if we can better predict when storms and hurricanes are coming, we can better prepare for them.
“This record is a testament to the unique endurance of the Saildrone platform. We are proud to have engineered a vehicle capable of operating in the most extreme weather conditions on earth, to deliver data that can help to advance understanding of these powerful storms and protect our coastal communities,” said Saildrone Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins in a statement.
Endurance seems a choice word when you get a look at the conditions Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 had to contend with on that momentous day.
The record-breaking weather event makes for a thrilling watch, and it had researchers equally excited over the data.
“To me, this was a really exciting thing. To see the data continuously streaming in through the hurricane without interruptions, despite the extremely harsh conditions – it was a highlight of my career,” said Greg Foltz, a NOAA oceanographer and one of the mission’s principal investigators.
The record-breaking speed was 109.83 knots (203.4 kilometers per hour; 126.4 miles per hour), which the Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 measured back in September 2021. Having only just been officially recognized as a world record, it will feature in the 2024 edition of The Guinness Book Of World Records.
In 2022, NOAA had seven ocean drones like Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 exploring the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season. When a storm starts a’brewing, humans set the Saildrone’s rough course, but the exact route is mapped out by the autonomous drone itself.
Far rather you than us, Saildrone Explorer SD 1045.
Source Link: In The Throes Of A Hurricane, An Uncrewed Vehicle Just Smashed A World Record