A Chinese research team has successfully deployed wind-powered unmanned surface vehicle (USV) to reach typhoon eyes twice this season, marking a technological breakthrough in extreme weather monitoring that could revolutionize storm forecasting.
Zhejiang University's 4.3-meter "Albatross" drone boat made history on June 13 by becoming China's first autonomous vessel to actively navigate through the eye of Typhoon Butterfly, recording unprecedented atmospheric and wave data.
"The red line marks the path of the typhoon's shifting center, while the black line shows our 'Albatross' drone's actual trajectory. At dawn on June 13, these paths converged. For about 30 minutes before and after penetration, we recorded completely reversed wind directions with extreme velocity changes. But during the over 20-minute passage of the eye of the typhoon, the minimum wind speed slowed down to just 0.3 m/s. This data confirm we successfully navigated through the typhoon's exact center," said Professor Li Peiliang, showing tracking maps where the drone's path, the black line, intersected the typhoon's shifting center, the red line.
The breakthrough provides meteorologists with never-before-seen measurements of the ocean-atmosphere interface during cyclones.
Later in July, the third-generation Albatross drone penetrated Typhoon Wipha's core carrying enhanced sensors and dual cameras.
"The second-generation Albatross carried only essential navigation sensors, wind speed/direction and wave monitors. For the third-gen model, we integrated specialized typhoon observation sensors while maintaining maneuverability, including dual cameras at both bow and stern for full visual documentation," Li explained.
China's "Albatross" drone boat makes history with dual typhoon eye penetrations
