Since a few Mondays ago, Waldo, an underwater robot, has been missing. So, yes, the biggest question at this point in time is actually “Where is Waldo?”
The robot is from the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, and went missing a few weeks ago. Waldo had been making reports every two hours, and then it suddenly stopped sending out signals. The scientist behind Waldo the robot was Gary Kirkpatrick. He stated that there are a few options as to why the robot went missing. One option was that there was a major leak in the machine. Another option was that there could have been a malfunction. Both of these options could have resulted in Waldo sinking to the bottom and sitting there. Another mistake that could have happened is that the computer that was in contact with Waldo could have had a malfunction. There could have been a problem with the communication system. The problem is that no one knows where Waldo is. Through all of these years of looking for Waldo in books, at costume parties, or on posters, we finally cannot find him.
What is Waldo’s purpose? It had been patrolling the waters in Florida for five days to look for signs of red tide. The robot had a cost of about $100,000. It also was equipped with a detector that would find red tide. This detector had a value of $30,000. Officials and scientists hope that it will turn up over Labor Day weekend, and Mote is offering a $500 “No-Questions-Asked” reward for the return of Waldo.
Waldo is about 115 pounds and was sent out on Aug 26th. It is the only funded robot, but they are using other methods of detecting red tide until they find Waldo.
