Mayflower 400 is all about dreams and hopes in the AI arena. We find ourselves delighted to be introducing Mayflower 400, the unmanned 15-m-long trimaran crewless ship, to you all. This ship is powered by artificial intelligence and solar energy and will set sailing on the transatlantic voyage on 15 May 2021 (Subject to weather conditions).

This marks a great development in the direction of exploring possibilities of autonomous ocean science. The project is a collaboration of a team of researchers from the marine research organization ProMare, IBM, and the University of Plymouth. 

The ship is equipped with six high-tech cameras and radars to provide information and research into marine mammals, marine plastics, and ocean chemistry.

According to Professor Kevin Jones Executive Dean of Science and Engineering at the University of Plymouth, through vessels such as the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, the University is at the forefront of using unmanned vessels for cutting-edge ocean science. This technology has the undoubted potential to be a game-changer in the field, enabling us to capture data that can transform our understanding of the oceans and the impact climate change and other factors are having on them. 

He added, “The wider project is also an example of how science, industry and the community can come together for mutual benefit, something we are also championing through our involvement in initiatives such as the Marine Business Technology Centre and Smart Sound Plymouth.”

Countries like India, the US, and Switzerland have contributed significantly in various ways towards the project, along with an investment of $1 million by ProMare.

Mayflower 400 weighs 9 tons and has been trained with audio data to avoid collisions. It is also capable of correcting its course, detecting marine animals to gather information of the population of the aquatic animals.

Let’s have a look at the cutting edge marine research that the project aims for:

Marine mammal detection 

The data provided by the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project will help to enrich the existing research around marine mammal monitoring. This includes studying their behavior and the impact of human activities on them. Through this project, scientists from the Marine Vertebrate Research Group, in partnership with IBM, are hoping to detect marine mammals in the open ocean. These locations include the otherwise hard to survey ones. 

Hydrophone sensors secured from RS Aqua Ltd will be mounted to the vessel and will capture and transmit the collected data in real-time back to Plymouth. These self-activating hydrophone sensors enable the ship to listen to whales and collect relevant data.

Marine plastics 

The data gathered project would enable scientists to study levels of microplastics found across the Atlantic and any particular hotspots of plastic pollution.

Professor Richard Thompson OBE, Head of the International Marine Litter Research Unit, said “Plastic pollution is recognised as a global crisis and the MAS project will help to further a deeper understanding of this global issue and ways in which it can be addressed. With over 700 species coming into contact with marine litter and it being found from the poles to the equator, greater understanding is critical.”

Ocean chemistry 

The MAS is deployed with Hypertaste sensors (an AI-assisted e-tongue to fingerprint complex liquids) that, along with IBM artificial intelligence, will provide real-time assessments of the major ions present in seawater at various locations across the Atlantic. 

The project looks promising but has a lot to bear and fight in the course of its voyage with unpredictable weather conditions and rough seas autonomously. The world awaits its sailing for the reason that if successful, this will change the way we look at ocean studies, voyages, transport, and research. In the bigger picture it will make oceans more familiar to us than ever. 

Bon Voyage Mayflower 400!