Development of a solar-powered underwater glider

Power supply is one of the most important issues for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) which have no umbilical cable connecting with their mother ships. Underwater glider can go forward without any propulsive machinery and it is extremely efficient in energy consumption. The purpose of this research is to study the feasibility of a solar-powered underwater glider so as to improve its long-term endurance. The SORA glider equipped with two thrustors and amorphous-silicon solar panels was firstly developed as a test-bed vehicle of the solar-powered underwater glider, and the authors have demonstrated that SORA has an ability to go underwater using solar energy. This paper deals with development of the SORA glider and the basic design of a newly designed ocean-going solar-powered underwater glider.