Eco Factor: Robot diver powered by onboard thermoelectric generator.
The SOLO-TREC diver is the latest robot unveiled by NASA. The new ocean-going robot is the first of its kind to be fueled entirely by renewable energy. It traps thermal energy from the ocean each time it moves from deep cold water to waters on a warmer surface.
Making three trips daily by keeping itself constantly recharged, the robotic diver moves 500-meter off the coast of Hawaii to collect information on ocean salinity and currents. This is a regular practice for the SOLO-TREC diver since November 2009. It comes equipped with oil-filled tubes that are enclosed by a compartment packed with wax that liquefies once the robot hits warm waters.
The wax liquefies and starts expanding by 13 percent as sea temperature exceeds 10 °C, squeezing the oil from the tubes into the interior of the buoy it’s stored at high pressure. The oil is then released to drive the generator and charges the batteries. This entire process generates nearly 1.6 Wh that is used for buoy’s various functions like water intake and expulsion, a GPS receiver, and its sensors and transmitters. We can hope to see a complete fleet of these robot buoys in the near future.
Via: EcoGeek/New Scientist
