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Just Departed on a Journey of Approximately 5,630 km in the Atlantic Ocean the Autonomous Ship MayFlower, Owned by International Business Machines (IBM) and ProMare.
Journey on a ship with no crew or passengers on board? Yes! The autonomous MayFlower from IBM promises to make a journey of over 5,000 kilometers in the Atlantic Ocean, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the original ship’s voyage.
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Learn All the Details About IBM’s Autonomous Ship Voyage in the Atlantic Ocean
The IBM ship departed from the city of Plymouth in the southwest of the United Kingdom on a journey that will last about three weeks. During the trip, the ship will conduct a series of experiments, collecting samples of plastic waste and data on marine life in the Atlantic Ocean.
The MayFlower was designed by ProMare, a non-profit organization involved in oceanic research, in partnership with IBM, which developed the software responsible for controlling the ship.
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The ship’s journey in the Atlantic Ocean is part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the original Mayflower’s journey, which transported British “Pilgrims” to establish their colonies in the “New World.” According to IBM’s developers, the Software, called MAS (MayFlower Autonomous Ship), was created to demonstrate the technological advancement of navigation over time, from the Age of Exploration to the present day.
Understand the Main Differences Between the Original and Current MayFlower
The original ship set sail in 1620 and had three masts about 30 meters tall, with canvas sails. It could carry about 132 people and reached an average speed of 6 km/h.
The original crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was from Plymouth to Cape Cod, located in Massachusetts, which took approximately two months. The current Mayflower, on the other hand, is made of an aluminum composite and features a 15 m photovoltaic solar panel and a backup diesel generator to power the batteries. IBM’s ship can reach a speed of 20 km/h.
It is controlled by Artificial Intelligence and receives information from 6 cameras and 50 sensors. It departed from Plymouth for the Scilly Isles this Tuesday (15) and entered the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday (16).
Director of the Autonomous Ship Project Speaks Out
Brett Phaneuf, the project director, says he feels “incredibly nervous” and that this feeling will only pass in three weeks, when IBM’s ship reaches its final destination. He believes everyone on his team is feeling the same way. No one has ever completed this type of journey, but the weather is great for it. He emphasizes that the journey can be followed on the project’s website.
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