  The measurement of ultra-high energy (UHE) neutrinos (E $>$ \SI{e16}{eV})
opens a new field of astronomy with the potential to reveal the sources of
ultra-high energy cosmic rays especially if combined with observations in the
electromagnetic spectrum and gravitational waves. The ARIANNA pilot detector
explores the detection of UHE neutrinos with a surface array of independent
radio detector stations in Antarctica which allows for a cost-effective
instrumentation of large volumes. Twelve stations are currently operating
successfully at the Moore's Bay site (Ross Ice Shelf) in Antarctica and at the
South Pole. We will review the current state of ARIANNA and its main results.
We report on a newly developed wind generator that successfully operates in the
harsh Antarctic conditions and powers the station for a substantial time during
the dark winter months. The robust ARIANNA surface architecture, combined with
environmentally friendly solar and wind power generators, can be installed at
any deep ice location on the planet and operated autonomously. We report on the
detector capabilities to determine the neutrino direction by reconstructing the
signal arrival direction of a \SI{800}{m} deep calibration pulser, and the
reconstruction of the signal polarization using the more abundant cosmic-ray
air showers. Finally, we describe a large-scale design -- ARIA -- that
capitalizes on the successful experience of the ARIANNA operation and is
designed sensitive enough to discover the first UHE neutrino.
