Home » The autonomous boat that was supposed to cross the Atlantic, and that did not understand the danger it ran

The autonomous boat that was supposed to cross the Atlantic, and that did not understand the danger it ran

by admin

“Dear, I’m home.” The Twitter account that tells – or rather, told – the journey of the autonomous boat “AI Captain Mayflower”, which left last June 16 from the port of Plymouth, in the United Kingdom, writes it at 15:40 – Italian time – of 24 June 2021. , and headed for another Plymouth, Massachusetts. The revolutionary idea was to have a boat without captain and crew, totally autonomous, cross the Atlantic for the first time. Developed by the non-profit organization Promare, engaged in exploration and research at sea, and by IBM, the modern Mayflower can count on a radar which, combined with artificial intelligence, allows to recognize any obstacles. The energy needed to move is provided by the solar panels on board.

Unfortunately, after only two days of navigation the boat reported a small mechanical problem. This is where the story gets interesting: the Mayflower – whose name pays homage to the English galleon of the same name that crossed the Atlantic in 1620 – despite the technical problem not interrupting her journey. It is those who follow it from the ground, a human being therefore, who assesses how much the damage can affect the journey. And he makes the decision to get her back. In short, the mission ends a few days later at the starting point, and as the Washington Post points out, this is an example of “how complicated the experiment is”. Promare and Ibm will try again, taking advantage of this experience. The wave that leads to progress is not that easy to ride.

See also  Omicron variant, the swabs of the classmates of the children of patient zero in Campania are negative

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy