Self-sailing Mayflower AI Ship to Cross Atlantic Next Year
The Mayflower, the crewless, autonomous ship built with the help of IBM, will try to sail across the Atlantic again next year, after its first attempt failed shortly after it left the UK for the US.
Created by maritime non-profit Promare, the vessel was designed to not only steer itself but also collect data for scientists to study all sorts of stuff from microplastics to whales.
The Mayflower was designed to operate autonomously; it has a mixture of cameras, radar sensors, and machine learning software to detect objects in its environment and navigate safely around cargo ships and fishing vessels.
It also has GPS to stay on course, and runs on solar power with a diesel generator for getting through rough conditions.
In June, three days into an attempt to sail over 3,000 miles from Plymouth in the UK to its counterpart port Plymouth in Massachusetts, it suddenly malfunctioned, and was brought back to British shores for some engineering attention.
A real-time camera feed onboard the Mayflower was shut down; the breakdown was blamed on a mechanical issue that couldn’t be patched with software.
After trying to figure out what went wrong, engineers discovered a metal component of the ship’s generator had fractured.
The mishap caused diesel fuel to leak from the equipment, preventing it from working properly.
Without this essential power source, the Mayflower was totally reliant on its solar panels and its speed dropped.
Mission control directed the ship to limp back to base.
The ship is now at sea again to resume data collection, though it isn’t straying too far away from human support while its software and hardware onboard continues to be tested.
“A coupling component of the hybrid drive system developed a leak,” Promare’s president, Ayse Atauz Phaneuf, told The Reg. “We previously used a commercially available component, but now we have replaced this with one that we designed and manufactured, so it is purpose built, and will not have the same issue.”
“On 7 September 2021, Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) was re-launched to resume its testing and scientific research schedule,” according to a statement on the mission’s official website.
“Science teams associated with the equipment installed on MAS will continue collecting and analysing data in order to establish the methodology of using autonomous platforms for oceanographic surveys and research…Camera and data feeds will be turned back on for the cruises along the UK coast planned for Autumn and Winter. The next attempt for the Atlantic Crossing is planned for Spring 2022.”
The Register has asked IBM for further comment.
See more here: theregister.com
Header image: Wayne Perry
Bold emphasis added
Please Donate Below To Support Our Ongoing Work To Defend The Scientific Method
PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL, legally registered in the UK as a company 
incorporated for charitable purposes. Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.
Trackback from your site.
Howdy
| #
“Without this essential power source, the Mayflower was totally reliant on its solar panels and its speed dropped.”
So it was mainly diesel powered? Typical.
It’s a perfect description of renewables. Without fossil fuel backup, it’s a dead duck.
Reply
richard
| #
“Trident Energy has spotted an opportunity to reduce the risks and costs of providing offshore power. Offshore wind farms are being built in ever deeper, harsher waters. Diesel generators are used to provide power when these are without grid connection”
–https://www.tridentenergy.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/White-Paper-The-Market-Opportunity-for-Offshore-Auxiliary-Power.pdf
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/diesel-generator-market
Reply
Howdy
| #
So all the offshore wind farms consume power when stationary, from the grid?
I discovered this:
“using the generator as a motor (to help the blades start to turn when the wind speed is low or, as many suspect, to maintain the illusion that the facility is producing electricity when it is not.”
http://www.aweo.org/windconsumption.html
I can believe that! pdf appreciated Richard.
Reply
Howdy
| #
All windmills need this power then. They’re high maintenance.
You know, one of the reasons the steam engine was superseded was high maintenance. Welcome to the modern steam engine!
Reply
Doug Harrison
| #
Surely calling this little boat a ship is a joke? I think launch would almost be an overstatement.
Reply