The Jetyak

Here’s a new addition to the fleet of oceanographic vehicles: the Jetyak. It was developed by WHOI scientists Peter Traykovski and Hanu Singh, who adapted a commercially available gas-powered kayak. It’s a sturdy surface craft that scientists can control remotely or program to run autonomously on a designated course. Equipped with downward-looking sonars, current meters, and other sensors, it’s ideal for mapping the seafloor or water properties in areas too shallow for underwater vehicles, such as coastal areas, or areas too dangerous for humans, such as the fronts of calving glaciers. It also robotically conducts repetitive or protracted surveys that would bore or stress people. (Photo courtesy of Peter Traykovski, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)