Autonomous AI-driven solar ship Mayflower crosses the Atlantic

A solar-powered, AI-driven marine research vessel has completed its journey across the Atlantic, recreating the Mayflower's historic journey 400 years ago.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) completed the 4,400 km (2,700 miles) trip from Plymouth, UK, to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, making it the first crewless ship to make the voyage.

The 40-day journey began on April 29, and was originally intended to end its journey in Massachusetts, USA, but was diverted to Halifax to investigate issues it encountered while at sea. The vessel would likely remain in Halifax for the next week or two, project bosses said, before going on to its original destination, and then to Washington DC.

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The MAS was first launched in September 2020 following two years of design, construction and AI modelling by marine research NGO ProMare with IBM as the lead technology and science partner.

IBM provided automation, artificial intelligence, and edge computing tech to power the AI 'Captain', which guided the vessel to its destination and made real-time decisions throughout the trans-Atlantic voyage.

The ship features six AI-powered cameras, over 30 sensors and 15 edge devices, all of which provide input for the AI Captain to interpret and analyse. IBM says the tech allows the AI Captain to adhere to maritime law and make split-second decisions, such as rerouting around hazards or marine life, all without human intervention.

In a similar way to which machine learning is applied across other industry sectors, IBM says the AI Captain was able to learn from data, postulate alternative choices, assess and optimise decisions, manage risk and refine its knowledge through feedback, all while maintaining the "highest ethical standards".

"The journey she made across was arduous and has taught us a great deal about designing, building and operating a ship of this nature and the future of the maritime enterprise", project director Brett Phaneuf told the BBC, adding that the IBM tech "remained functioning as intended" despite the issues it encountered.

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The solar-powered ship was also equipped with special equipment which collected data on the health of the ocean and surveyed the tides and waves as well as marine life.

The original Mayflower ship was a 30 metre (100 feet) wooden vessel with three masts, canvas sails and a top speed of three knots (6 km/h). The ship carried 102 passengers on the infamous two-month journey from Plymouth to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the year 1620.

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