Four-dimensional (4-D) Oceanographic Instrumentation

We propose to build a directional wave buoy that is smaller than a soda can, collects and transmits indefinitely, and costs less than $1k. These microbuoys can be moored, or left to drift. Micro wave buoys developments to date are non-directional, theyonly report the amplitude spectrum, and they have a short lifetime. Most directional buoys use tilt instead of orbital velocity to determine wave direction so need to be large to mechanically filter the higher frequencies. Here an accurate MEMS IMUdecouples tilt from other measurements. The heart of the new buoy is a Tiny Guidance Engine (TGE) that we developed for smart munitions. In less than 1 cubic inch, this device measures all 6 degrees of freedom inertially, 3 axes magnetically, temperatureand position/velocity with GPS. A small solar cell allows indefinite operation, due to the extremely low average power consumption. The environmental data is compressed in the onboard microcontroller and transmitted to Argos or Iridium satellites orother receivers, depending on application. Additional sensors (salinity etc.) can be added as desired) Low cost tiny wave buoys have many military and commercial uses.