Persistent EEL Drone for Maritime Monitoring

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a 10-watt (W) solid-state power source to extend the battery life of ocean instruments. The Electrically Engaged UnduLation (EEL) drone achieves persistence by harvesting hydrokinetic energy at sea. Today, unmanned gliders lack speed, duration, and range given the size and weight of chemical batteries. The resulting use of manned vessels for battery trips skyrockets the cost of ocean data. In contrast, EEL can replenish power 100-times over via the piezoelectric effect ľ a material-led phenomenon that converts wave energy into electricity. In Phase I, DoE funds will be used to verify performance metrics and de-risk technical challenges via detailed simulation and ex-situ component testing. The success of the project will make our oceans more accessible to the marine science, maritime security, and offshore energy industries. Commercial Application and Other Benefits EEL will solve expensive ocean data for the global maritime search, detection, and navigation instrumentation market, which is expected to grow from $159.30 billion in 2025 to $167 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1%. It represents a subset of the near trillion-dollar ocean enterprise market consists of numerous ocean floats and buoys. The latter comprises the addressable market size ~$19.6 billion, with 400+ maritime instrumentation OEMs and ~2,530 data end-users in the US. Together, they provide visibility into our oceans on maritime security, weather forecast, environmental protection, and emergency response.