Saildrone Inc. is a company that makes drones strong enough to enter hurricanes at their
strongest. Saildrones are wind and solar powered, allowing them to enter dangerous climates and
environments. The standard 23-ft saildrone can stay out to sea for up to a year and map out
future forecasts to be more accurate. Saildrone Inc. recently partnered with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to better study hurricanes and the environmental
science behind them.
On September 30, 2021, Hurricane Sam hit, and a Saildrone was sent into the eye of the storm to
study the disaster. Hurricane Sam had a high of 50-ft waves, 120+ mph winds, and was classified as a category 4 storm, but the vehicle still came out as if it were untouched. Richard Jenkins,
founder and CEO of Saildrone Inc., says that it was a huge success and great achievement to
come out of the storm “unscathed.” Another achievement from this new device is that it has
created the first video from an uncrewed surface vehicle from inside a major hurricane.
So why was the Saildrone created? This new technology can make it easier to discover the
science behind natural disasters and help us understand how, why, and when they are made.
Saildrone can map ocean floors, making oceanic discovery easier, monitor and detect future
hurricanes, and can study one of earth’s most dangerous natural disasters without putting anyone
in danger. Jenkins says, “What drives the intensity of the hurricanes is the transfer of heat and
moisture from the ocean to atmosphere and the dynamics of how that occurs isn’t
well-understood. So if we can measure how much is in the ocean and understand the physical
principle of how heat is transferred, that’s the piece the models are missing.” Saildrone Inc. is
hoping to expand their program in order to help others with hurricane detection, more accurately
forecast weather, and possibly save lives with early recognition of disasters.
Video from Saildrone in Hurricane Sam:
Video from Saildrone in Hurricane Sam:
https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/animations/w_780,ac_none/211004104344-mobapp-saildron
e- tohurricane-loop.mp4
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/weather/weather-news-hurricane-drones-southeast-flooding-w
xn/index.html
