In 2003, Joe Rizzi, Chairman, Jupiter Research Foundation, set out with the goal to design a system that could hold its position at sea—even if it wasn’t anchored in place—and operate 24/7 without harming the environment or the whales.

Roger Hine, a mechanical engineer and robotics expert from Stanford University, spent a year on the project experimenting with different designs and energy sources.

During the Unmanned Warrior 2016 exercise hosted by the Royal British Navy, Boeing and Liquid Robotics demonstrated for the first time a network of persistent USVs that detected, reported and tracked a live diesel submarine.

[12] The Wave Glider is composed of two parts: the ‘’float’’, roughly the size and shape of a large surfboard, travels on the surface of the ocean; the ‘’sub’’ or wing rack hangs below on an umbilical tether 13–26 feet (4–8 meters) long and is equipped with a rudder for steering and a thruster for additional thrust during extreme conditions (doldrums or high currents).

Changes include advancements for expanded sensor payloads and increased energy and storage capacity required for long duration maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring and observation missions.

[14] Solar panels recharge batteries which supply the power for the onboard sensor payloads, communications, computing, and enables a thruster propulsion system that provides additional navigational thrust for challenging ocean conditions (doldrums through high seas).

[19] Additionally, they’ve collected and transmitted data through extreme storms[20] and detected a live diesel submarine during the Unmanned Warrior exercise conducted in October of 2016.