An autonomous underwater vehicle has begun a mission to circumnavigate the globe. Called Redwing, the submersible will collect data to support ocean and climate research. It launched last Friday (10 October 2025) into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Redwing is designed to gather information, avoid fishing nets, and navigate strong ocean currents autonomously, without any human presence on board. The project aims to inspire future generations of robotic engineers and demonstrate the capabilities of modern robotic technology.
The Sentinel Mission is a five-year collaborative initiative between Teledyne Webb Research and Rutgers University to complete the first global circumnavigation with an autonomous underwater vehicle. Organisations supporting the mission include NOAA, the UN Ocean Decade, and the Marine Technology Society.
Redwing is a Slocum Sentinel Glider, an autonomous underwater glider. Teledyne says the ultra-long endurance uncrewed vehicle allows for over a year of persistent ocean monitoring and has the size and energy to address the widest range of oceanographic missions.
“This is a truly historic mission,” says Brian Maguire, Teledyne Marine chief operating officer. “It will pave the way for a future where a global fleet of autonomous underwater gliders continuously gather data from the oceans.
“These will deliver early warnings of extreme weather and will track the impact of shifting ocean currents so that we can refine long-term climate projections in a way that scientists have dreamed of for decades.”
Oscar Schofield, one of the mission’s scientific leads, says: “We live on an ocean planet. All weather and climate are regulated by the ocean. This mission will give us another tool we need to achieve real understanding.”
Schofield heads the Rutgers team with fellow oceanographer and mission co-leader Scott Glenn, a professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Glenn says: “This is a historic moment for ocean science. We’re deploying a robot that will travel the world’s oceans, gathering data. And we’re doing it with students, educators and international collaborators every step of the way.”
Redwing is an ocean glider made with a carbon fibre hull. It operates without a propeller, instead adjusting its buoyancy to move by sinking and rising in a zigzag pattern that conserves energy.
The first stage of its journey will follow the Gulf Stream from south of Martha’s Vineyard toward Europe, then continue south to Gran Canaria off the northwest coast of Africa. The next stages will take it to Cape Town in South Africa, across the Indian Ocean to Western Australia, and onward to New Zealand. From there, it will navigate the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the most powerful on Earth, on its longest leg to the Falkland Islands. It may then stop in Brazil and the Caribbean before returning to its starting point.
The name Redwing, an acronym for research and education Doug Webb inter-national glider, is intended to recognise Rutgers’ scarlet-themed school colours and to memorialise the late Doug Webb, the scientist and entrepreneur who invented the Slocum glider and founded Webb Research, the predecessor organisation that became Teledyne Marine, in Falmouth, Mass. The late inventor’s motto, “Work hard, have fun and change the world”, guides the spirit of the Redwing mission.
Webb supported the work of Rutgers students for decades. They will play a crucial role in the mission, developing flight tools, navigational software and storytelling content throughout the journey.
Redwing’s journey began at the dock of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), an independent organisation focused on ocean science, technology, and engineering. Webb, who began his career at WHOI, contributed to the development of early ocean gliders.
Today, WHOI operates the world’s second-largest glider fleet. It works with partners such as Teledyne and Rutgers to use these gliders for climate research, monitoring ocean health, and protecting endangered species, including the North Atlantic right whale.
Redwing has sensors that measures: how salty the water is; how warm it is; and how deep it goes. These measurements aim to help scientists understand how the ocean moves and how it affects the atmosphere.
Shea Quinn, Sentinel Mission lead and glider product line manager, says: “We’ve scaled our product to give it more capability. This glider has the endurance and energy to do more than any other vehicle could. It’s designed to stay out there for a year or two at a time.”
By diving to different depths, Redwing produces a three-dimensional view of the ocean. This aims to help scientists to predict hurricane intensity, heat waves in the ocean, and changes in marine life.
Redwing transmits real-time data to scientists via satellite every eight to twelve hours. It carries a fish tracker that can detect tagged marine animals in the open ocean, offering glimpses into migration patterns. The glider checks in with scientists every time it comes up to the surface via satellite. If it can’t connect, the vessel keeps going.
The mission has both scientific and educational objectives. More than 50 undergraduate students are participating in a research class led by Glenn and Schofield, tracking Redwing’s progress and documenting its findings through blog posts.
It will link classrooms around the world, enabling students from different regions to join virtual sessions, share cultural experiences, and exchange letters with Rutgers students.
In 2009, a team of scientists and students led by Glenn and Schofield launched an underwater robot, Scarlet Knight, across the Atlantic Ocean. The robot travelled more than 7,300 miles over 221 days, collecting data and avoiding obstacles. Operated remotely by Rutgers students, it became the first underwater robot to cross the Atlantic, arriving in Baiona, Spain, where Columbus’s crew had once returned from North America.