Former Google CEO backs Antarctic drone venture
Project aims include better carbon cycle models and support for polar logistics.
A reported investment by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt aims to deploy advanced drone systems to navigate Antarctic waters under extreme conditions. The project involves autonomous aerial and underwater drones tailored for polar environments.
Schmidt’s initiative would target the Southern Ocean’s carbon cycle, ice dynamics, and climate modelling. Designers intend drones to operate where traditional vessels cannot, gathering otherwise unreachable data to refine climate models.
Technologies under development reportedly include cold-resistant batteries, autonomous navigation systems, satellite or acoustic communications, and ice-penetrating radar for subsurface mapping. The designs emphasise minimal human intervention.
There is room for application beyond research, including maritime logistics in polar routes and environmental monitoring. If real, the investment could reshape the future of work on how scientists and explorers gather data in remote, hostile regions.
On the other hand, there are criticisms to exploring the area with technologies that could disturb the ecosystem and native species already under other threats. Therefore, careful consideration will have to be made of the ecological impact of this initiative.
Would you like to learn more about AI, tech and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!