World’s First Autonomous Vessel to Sail Across the Oceans
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An autonomous ship has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean. This ship is the world’s first unmanned, fully autonomous, AI-powered marine research vessel that sails across the Oceans to collect critical environmental data regarding climate change, ocean acidity, plastic pollution, marine mammal conservation, and more.
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) fitted with software developed by IBM was completed and officially launched in September 2020, 400 years after the original Mayflower left the maritime city to cross the Atlantic.
The revolutionary trimaran vessel carries onboard a variety of drones through which it will conduct experiments during its voyage.
The autonomous ship was built by a nonprofit marine research organization named ProMare in partnership with the computer-tech giant IBM and dozens of partners from across industry and academia.
The ship is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system, positioning technology, and a stealth structure.
The Mayflower Autonomous Research is powered by state-of-the-art wind and solar technology, with a backup diesel generator. IBM’s automation, AI, and edge computing technologies help it make decisions about what to do next while at sea without human help. The ship uses radar and GPS to navigate, while six cameras attached to the mast serve as the ship’s ‘eyes’ by feeding into an AI image recognition system that helps it avoid oncoming ships and other hazards.
The project aims to aid the development of fully autonomous AI systems and applications for use in a variety of industries such as shipping, oil, and gas, telecommunications, security and defense, fishing, and aquaculture.
