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www.sea-technology.com November 2014 / st 47 wave tank at the bottom of his garden to test how his designs would perform in a variety of conditions. Poole found a solid partner in his endeavor after being in- troduced to retired Royal Navy Commodore David Maclean in 2011. Maclean liked what he saw in Poole's ideas. They founded MOST (Autonomous Vessels) Ltd. (Chichester, Eng- land) in 2012 and created a 3.5-meter unmanned surface vessel able to gather oceanographic data over long periods, a feat that had not previously been accomplished. Here at Innovate U.K., we were immediately impressed with the AutoNaut design and knew we could help com- mercialize the project. We have experience with the unique journeys that innovators take and the obstacles they meet along the way. We use our skills, expertise and resources to help these innovators overcome each obstacle. The ac- cess to expertise and funding that we provided to AutoNaut was the impetus they needed to continue their innovation journey. AutoNaut's wave-power technology has also found oth- er applications. MOST (AV)'s sister company, MOST Ltd., is taking part in an Innovate U.K.-backed vessel effciency project led by Rolls-Royce Marine (London, England) to in- vestigate how this technology could be used on larger com- mercial vessels to reduce carbon emissions. This collabora- I n 1730, George Graham, England's pre-eminent clockmaker, was introduced to a young John Har- rison. Harrison was an aspiring innovator hoping to solve the issue of a lack of accurate time mea- surement for sailors to enable them to determine longitude. Impressed with his idea, Graham pro- vided Harrison the money he needed to construct a prototype. After fve years of construction, Harri- son's sea clock was approved by the English Royal Society and trialled on a voyage in 1736. It proved to be a great success, and Harrison was awarded another £500 for development. In 1759, he suc- ceeded in creating the frst accurate marine time keeper in the world. By the time the watch was tri- alled at sea, Harrison was 68 years old. He was 80 when King George III fnally awarded him a prize of £20,000, and he then lived for only three more years. His innovation journey spanned a lifetime of tireless effort and discovery. Although Harrison was one of the country's greatest innovators, and arguably without an equal in the marine world, his pioneering spirit is refected in some of today's marine inventors. Almost 200 years later, two marine inno- vators, aided by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and Innovate U.K. (Swindon, Enlgand), the government's in- novation agency, have overcome barriers to develop their AutoNaut—a wave-propelled, unmanned data-gathering vessel. Connecting with supportive lead customers allowed these innovators to succeed. A Small Business Research Ini- tiative (SBRI) contract from NOC was also instrumental in bringing their marine technology to market. The Beginnings of an Innovation Mike Poole's interest in wave-propelled boats began in 1981. He believed that a sensor-equipped, wave-powered boat, which didn't need fuel and could therefore run almost indefnitely, would be a cost-effective and effcient way to gather data from the oceans for use in science, industry and military applications. Poole spent 30 years developing his idea, pursuing it as a hobby in his spare time. He proceeded to build a 20-meter Government Support Throughout the Innovation Journey From the First Accurate Marine Watch to a Wave-Powered Boat By Stephen Browning Innovators Maclean and Poole with the AutoNaut autonomous vessel.