The ocean is the last great frontier. It covers most of the Earth’s surface, produces 70% of our oxygen, and is a significant source of food and jobs. It’s also an increasingly contested battlespace, as nations seek to protect their waters and resources.

The ocean will undergo a profound transformation over the next decade to address these problems. Sensors, connectivity, cloud computing—the same technology that has revolutionized the terrestrial world is coming to the ocean.

The Wave Glider is the essential technology for this transformation. Sitting at the surface, the Wave Glider is capable of collecting and communicating ocean data, real-time, through unpredictable conditions, for up to one year. It connects subsea data and communicates it to satellites and land, creating an ocean network.

Imagine this ocean network connecting billions of sensors, crewed and crewed systems, and satellites above. A place where data is available on demand, around the clock.

This is the Digital Ocean, and it is taking shape around us.

Liquid Robotics is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company.