The record-breaking, ocean-crossing science robot (images)
Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider robot Papa Mau traveled from San Francisco to Australia in a year, collecting a wide variety of scientific data along the way.
For a year, an autonomous robot, the Papa Mau, traveled 9,000 miles from California to Australia, piloted remotely by scientists interested in the data it could collect along the way about the oceans. The robot's developer, Silicon Valley's Liquid Robotics, said that it set a record for the longest distance traveled on the Earth's surface by a robot. Called a Wave Glider, the Papa Mau is designed to travel under its own power, with no fuel or outside propulsion.
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In open water
The Papa Mau, seen near the Australian coast, just prior to the completion of its 9,000-mile journey across the sea.
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Coming on board
A Liquid Robotics crew pulls the Papa Mau onto a boat in Australia's Hervey Bay.
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Carrying the robot
Crew members carry the sensor-laden robot on board the boat.
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Barnacles
Barnacles cover the rear of the robot's wave-gliding assembly after the 9,000-mile trip.
