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Technology

Tireless diving robot feeds on the ocean's heat

By Rachel Courtland

21 April 2010

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

No stopping us now

(Image: New Scientist)

EAT your heart out, Duracell bunny: NASA has unveiled an ocean-going robot that really can go on forever. It is the first of its kind to be fuelled entirely by renewable energy.

This month the agency revealed that SOLO-TREC, a wax-filled buoy powered only by the temperature differences in the water around it, has been tirelessly diving to depths of 500 metres off the Hawaiian coast three times a day since November 2009. The float gathers data on temperature and salinity to improve studies of ocean currents.

SOLO-TREC extracts thermal energy from the…

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