(IBM)
The autonomous trimaran Mayflower set off along the same path of the English merchant ship of the same name
The Mayflower was the ship the British crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the 17th century and founded one of the first settlements in North America.
Right now, the trimaran has already entered international waters. The journey should take approximately three weeks, according to IBM.
In 1620, the British sailed on the Mayflower from Plymouth, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, rounded Cape Cod and moored to a rock that was later called Plymouth too.
The ship had about 30 crew members, and during the voyage, two children were born. The Mayflower British established one of the first settlements in North America.
IBM has been developing the stand-alone Mayflower since 2018 and launched the trimaran last fall.
The vessel weighs five tons, is 15 meters long and 6.2 meters wide. It can move at a speed of 10 knots thanks to a solar-powered hybrid electric motor.
There is not a single person aboard the Mayflower, and the AI Captain system is in charge of the ship, which IBM began testing last year.
AI Captain receives data from over 50 sensors: cameras, a radar station, an automatic identification system module and radio communication equipment for exchanging information with other ships, including voice messages.
AI Captain is able to independently detect and classify ships, buoys, marine debris and land areas.
The system can also receive a distress signal and redirect it to the coastal base.
The autonomous trimaran Mayflower departed the route of the original Mayflower on 15 June from Plymouth. It is now in international waters.
Like the first Mayflower, the trimaran will try to cross the Atlantic and land in the United States.
But the autonomous vessel also has another mission: it collects information on ocean acidification, microplastics and marine mammals.
The movement of the vessel can be monitored in real time, and the entire journey should take about three weeks.
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