Wave Glider
[commercial]maritime_surface · food-service · 1 deployments in catalog
Verified (entity scoping + active state): Liquid Robotics makes the Wave Glider; entity = the Wave Glider product/vessel, maker = Liquid Robotics (a Boeing company). It is STILL a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary (Boeing Defense, Space & Security; acquired Dec 6 2016; relocated to Herndon VA 2022) - NOT divested or wound down (corrects the 'possibly divested' hypothesis). The Wave Glider is an ACTIVE product: a 2025 Boeing/Liquid Robotics MoU with India's Sagar Defence Engineering co-produces Wave Gliders, with a Dec 2025 Pune manufacturing facility. maturity=commercial., Editorial throughline (persistent-presence 2nd example): Persistent-presence-via-energy-harvesting archetype, the SECOND example alongside Ocius Bluebottle (Wave 2): both are wind/wave/solar indefinite-endurance USVs. Wave Glider has the deeper Pacific operational history (long-running ocean-science + naval deployments); Ocius is the newer, RAN-program entrant., Cap-flag: Specific current customer roster + fleet counts not enumerated here (Boeing-subsidiary disclosures are limited); the India co-production is an MoU + a facility, not a delivered-units figure. Treat any aggregator-quoted Wave-Glider deployment totals as company/marketing-sourced.
Manufacturer
Liquid RoboticsForm Factor
maritime_surface
Lifecycle
commercial
Operational Reality
Audited
Deployments
1
Target Price
Custom Quote
- COMMERCIAL
Description
The Wave Glider is a wave- and solar-powered persistent autonomous surface vehicle made by Liquid Robotics, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary, recorded in the maritime form factor with the entity scoped to the Wave Glider product and Liquid Robotics as the maker. It converts wave motion into forward thrust through a submerged sub-float tethered to a surface float and uses solar power for its payloads, giving it theoretically indefinite endurance for ocean data collection, maritime domain awareness, and scientific work across defense, commercial, and science customers. The registry confirms its active state: Liquid Robotics remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, acquired on December 6, 2016 and relocated to Herndon, Virginia in 2022, and is neither divested nor wound down, correcting an earlier possibly-divested hypothesis, while the Wave Glider remains an active product with a 2025 Boeing and Liquid Robotics memorandum of understanding with India's Sagar Defence Engineering to co-produce Wave Gliders and a Pune manufacturing facility inaugurated in December 2025. Its editorial throughline is the persistent-presence-via-energy-harvesting archetype, the second example in the cohort alongside the Ocius Bluebottle, with both wind, wave, and solar indefinite-endurance vessels, the Wave Glider carrying the deeper Pacific operational history and Ocius the newer Royal Australian Navy program entry. Specific current customer rosters and fleet counts are not enumerated given limited Boeing-subsidiary disclosure, the India co-production is a memorandum and a facility rather than a delivered-units figure, and any aggregator-quoted deployment totals should be treated as company-sourced.
Key facts & specs
- website
- https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/overview/
- lifecycle
- active
- manufacturer
- Liquid Robotics
- deployments count
- 1
- Maturity stage
- commercial
- Specs
- Wave Glider: wave + solar-powered persistent autonomous surface vehicle - converts wave motion to forward thrust (a submerged sub float + surface float) + solar for payload power, giving theoretically indefinite endurance for ocean data / maritime domain awareness (defense + commercial + science). Made by Liquid Robotics, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary (acquired Dec 6 2016; Herndon VA).
- Runtime
- 1 year
- Max speed
- 2 kt
- Weight kg
- 70
- Form Factor
- maritime (autonomous SURFACE vessel / USV; wave + solar energy-harvesting; persistent presence)
- Power source
- wave and solar powered
- Endurance
- theoretically indefinite
- Maker
- Liquid Robotics, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary
- Maturity
- commercial
Safety record
No incidents on record for Wave Glider.
Supply chain
- Teledyne TechnologiesSENSORSsupplier
Teledyne Technologies Teledyne acoustic instruments -- ADCP ocean current profiler and multi-beam sonar payloads
FAQ
What is Wave Glider?
The Wave Glider is a wave- and solar-powered persistent autonomous surface vehicle made by Liquid Robotics, a wholly-owned Boeing subsidiary, recorded in the maritime form factor with the entity scoped to the Wave Glider product and Liquid Robotics as the maker. It converts wave motion into forward thrust through a submerged sub-float tethered to a surface float and uses solar power for its payloads, giving it theoretically indefinite endurance for ocean data collection, maritime domain awareness, and scientific work across defense, commercial, and science customers. The registry confirms its active state: Liquid Robotics remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, acquired on December 6, 2016 and relocated to Herndon, Virginia in 2022, and is neither divested nor wound down, correcting an earlier possibly-divested hypothesis, while the Wave Glider remains an active product with a 2025 Boeing and Liquid Robotics memorandum of understanding with India's Sagar Defence Engineering to co-produce Wave Gliders and a Pune manufacturing facility inaugurated in December 2025. Its editorial throughline is the persistent-presence-via-energy-harvesting archetype, the second example in the cohort alongside the Ocius Bluebottle, with both wind, wave, and solar indefinite-endurance vessels, the Wave Glider carrying the deeper Pacific operational history and Ocius the newer Royal Australian Navy program entry. Specific current customer rosters and fleet counts are not enumerated given limited Boeing-subsidiary disclosure, the India co-production is a memorandum and a facility rather than a delivered-units figure, and any aggregator-quoted deployment totals should be treated as company-sourced.
Is Wave Glider actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Wave Glider is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
What are the specs of Wave Glider?
Wave Glider's recorded specifications on the DEPLOY registry: Runtime: 1 year; Max speed: 2 kt; Weight: 70. See the Specs section for the full sourced set.
Who makes Wave Glider?
Wave Glider is made by Liquid Robotics, based in Sunnyvale, California, USA, founded in 2007.
Where is Wave Glider deployed?
1 verified deployment of Wave Glider is on the DEPLOY registry, including at Honolulu.
Can you buy Wave Glider?
Wave Glider is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
What are alternatives to Wave Glider?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable maritime_surface robots to Wave Glider include Corsair, Voyager, Surveyor, Saildrone USV (Explorer / Voyager / Surveyor).
How does Wave Glider compare to Corsair?
Wave Glider and Corsair (Saronic Technologies · 8 deployments) are both maritime_surface robots on the DEPLOY registry. Wave Glider has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Wave Glider a top maritime_surface?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Wave Glider ranks in roughly the top 63% of maritime_surface models tracked by the registry.
What is Wave Glider's maturity stage?
Wave Glider is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is Wave Glider safe?
Wave Glider has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.