Full Name
Richard Jenkins
Job Title
CEO & Founder
Company
Saildrone Inc
Speaker Bio
Richard is the CEO & founder of Saildrone Inc, pioneering oceangoing unmanned systems.
Saildrones harvest wind and solar power to enable extreme duration missions and persistent presence capabilities in some of the harshest conditions on our planet.
A mechanical engineer, sailor and pilot, Richard is the fastest sailor in the world, holding the world speed record for wind powered vehicles, with a speed of 126.2 mph, set in 2009 on a dry lake in Nevada. This feat was the result of 10 years of research and development, which saw the creation of a new type of wing technology, enabling wind power to be harnessed for propulsion without consuming electrical or mechanical energy.
After setting the speed record, Richard moved to San Francisco with his young family and applied his patented wing technology to create an unmanned, autonomous surface vehicle, he called Saildrone. Based in Alameda California, Saildrone Inc employs 75 people and has a fleet of 100 unmanned autonomous vehicles.
After 6 Years of deployed operations, collecting ocean data with government agencies such as NOAA, NASA, USCG & NGA, the Saildrone fleet has covered over half a million miles, with operating areas ranging from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean. Recent additions of engines and high power payloads have transformed saildrone operations in low power environments, also enabling high speeds in light wind conditions. Sophisticated ML/AI algorithms running on onboard GPU compute, power ISR capabilities to support USCG, NAVY & DHS operations.
Saildrones harvest wind and solar power to enable extreme duration missions and persistent presence capabilities in some of the harshest conditions on our planet.
A mechanical engineer, sailor and pilot, Richard is the fastest sailor in the world, holding the world speed record for wind powered vehicles, with a speed of 126.2 mph, set in 2009 on a dry lake in Nevada. This feat was the result of 10 years of research and development, which saw the creation of a new type of wing technology, enabling wind power to be harnessed for propulsion without consuming electrical or mechanical energy.
After setting the speed record, Richard moved to San Francisco with his young family and applied his patented wing technology to create an unmanned, autonomous surface vehicle, he called Saildrone. Based in Alameda California, Saildrone Inc employs 75 people and has a fleet of 100 unmanned autonomous vehicles.
After 6 Years of deployed operations, collecting ocean data with government agencies such as NOAA, NASA, USCG & NGA, the Saildrone fleet has covered over half a million miles, with operating areas ranging from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean. Recent additions of engines and high power payloads have transformed saildrone operations in low power environments, also enabling high speeds in light wind conditions. Sophisticated ML/AI algorithms running on onboard GPU compute, power ISR capabilities to support USCG, NAVY & DHS operations.
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