4 ms·

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project

38 points by adamfeldman 6y ago

davedx 6y ago
Hope it can follow Col Regs.
- jackyinger 6y ago
  For those who aren’t avid boaters: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_for_Preventing_Collisions_at_Sea https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_fo... Looking at that tiny wing sail, it’s gonna be sloowwww. Maybe that’ll help?
  - CocoaGeek 6y ago
    AFAIK, it's solar powered and not wind powered.
    - adrianmonk 6y ago
      The infographic from IBM's site (http://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_ibmnews/184460/IBM_Autonomous_Ship_Infographic_Branded_030320-1000.jpg http://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_ibmnews/184460/IBM_Auto...) says: > PROPULSION SYSTEM Hybrid power: window/solar (with diesel generator backup) And while I'm at it: > SPEED Max: 10 knots > JOURNEY TIME - PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND TO PLYMOUTH, MA Duration: Approximately 12 days
  - WJW 6y ago
    20 knots is not all that slow. According to google average container ship speed is about 24 knots. Even the navy destroyer I used to sail on topped out at 30 knots using its gas turbines, which were only to be used for "serious purposes".
    - contingencies 6y ago
      Very rough scale with respect to sailing vessels around 30-55 foot length... multihulls (fast = 20 knots, common = 15 knots, many = 10 knots), monohulls (fast = 12 knots, common = 8-10 knots, many = 6-8 knots). For an ocean-going trimaran, their 10 knot speed is not fast. It is quite likely the vessel's apparently near-fixed "wingsail" represents a very conservatively-rigged configuration that is biased for stability instead of speed.
      - scooble 6y ago
        Thinking about it in the context of the colregs, 10kts is above the hull speed of a 40ft sailing yacht, and is probably plenty fast enough to sink that yacht in a collision.
      - WJW 6y ago
        The documents on the website mentioned 20 kts, so that's what I went with.
- scooble 6y ago
  I suspect it can't by definition. It is not clear how an unmanned vessel can maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing (rule 5) for example. It is possible that it has the ability to determine things like which tack another sailing vessel is on (which it will need if it is sailpowered) as well as identifying things like day shapes, light patterns and sound signals and adjusting its behaviour accordingly. I am a little doubtful though. Similar projects seem to rely on AIS for collision prevention, which will mean that it can't 'see' any recreational vessels who lack AIS type A.
option_greek 6y ago
Looks like they have found their new 'Watson' for the Ocean. At least this one probably does something useful. Everything IBM does using buzzwords seems to be to keep their consultancy business thriving and staying in the news.
Animats 6y ago
Wave Gliders [1] have been doing that for years. The tiny Wave Gliders are quite useful. They're small, smaller than a surfboard. They're considered "marine debris" for vessel safety purposes. Electronics is so small today that they carry compute power, GPS, cameras, and Iridium for communications, plus other small oceanographic instruments as desired. They're tough enough to survive hurricanes. The control center has AIS info and steers them away from vessel traffic. Propulsion is mostly passive, using wave action to propel the glider forward. They're slow, but make steady progress. It's a quiet, useful and profitable technology. [1] https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/overview/ https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/overview/
- shadowprofile77 6y ago
  Profitable to the manufacturers? Or profitable to buyers because of data collected?
- learn_more 6y ago
  I wonder how the Wave Glider deals with fouling of the umbilical from seaweed and fishing gear?
yalogin 6y ago
Sorry for the tangent, but I am surprised to see a dedicated section to Blockchain on their site. Its right alongside Cloud, IoT and Security. Wonder what they do with it. EDIT: I need to clarify a bit. I clicked on the link yes. However there are pages of it, wasn't sure if its aspirational or they actually make money off it
- wilg 6y ago
  Did you click it?
- maxwell 6y ago
  https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust
- rsynnott 6y ago
  It was all the rage a few years back; everyone had an aspirational blockchain project. It being IBM, they’ll probably vaguely keep at it long after it’s passé.
silentwanderer 6y ago
I know this is a dumb thing to complain about, but why is their CGI so bad?
bloudermilk 6y ago
If you like autonomous ships, check out Saildrone > Saildrone designs and manufactures wind and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles called saildrones, which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. We are building the world's largest high-resolution ocean datasets, working with governments and private companies around the globe. https://climatescape.org/organizations/saildrone https://climatescape.org/organizations/saildrone
AnotherGoodName 6y ago
I feel Mary Celeste would have been a better name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste
- eat_veggies 6y ago
  Yes! Not only does Mary Celeste have a way cooler name and backstory than the Mayflower, it also carries fewer weird colonial/imperialist connotations.
SrslyJosh 6y ago
An unfortunate name.
decentralMike 6y ago
Oh nice a project named after diseased colonizers.

38 points by adamfeldman 6y ago

davedx 6y ago

Hope it can follow Col Regs.

jackyinger 6y ago
For those who aren’t avid boaters: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_for_Preventing_Collisions_at_Sea https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Regulations_fo... Looking at that tiny wing sail, it’s gonna be sloowwww. Maybe that’ll help?
- CocoaGeek 6y ago
  AFAIK, it's solar powered and not wind powered.
  - adrianmonk 6y ago
    The infographic from IBM's site (http://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_ibmnews/184460/IBM_Autonomous_Ship_Infographic_Branded_030320-1000.jpg http://filecache.mediaroom.com/mr5mr_ibmnews/184460/IBM_Auto...) says: > PROPULSION SYSTEM Hybrid power: window/solar (with diesel generator backup) And while I'm at it: > SPEED Max: 10 knots > JOURNEY TIME - PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND TO PLYMOUTH, MA Duration: Approximately 12 days
- WJW 6y ago
  20 knots is not all that slow. According to google average container ship speed is about 24 knots. Even the navy destroyer I used to sail on topped out at 30 knots using its gas turbines, which were only to be used for "serious purposes".
  - contingencies 6y ago
    Very rough scale with respect to sailing vessels around 30-55 foot length... multihulls (fast = 20 knots, common = 15 knots, many = 10 knots), monohulls (fast = 12 knots, common = 8-10 knots, many = 6-8 knots). For an ocean-going trimaran, their 10 knot speed is not fast. It is quite likely the vessel's apparently near-fixed "wingsail" represents a very conservatively-rigged configuration that is biased for stability instead of speed.
    - scooble 6y ago
      Thinking about it in the context of the colregs, 10kts is above the hull speed of a 40ft sailing yacht, and is probably plenty fast enough to sink that yacht in a collision.
    - WJW 6y ago
      The documents on the website mentioned 20 kts, so that's what I went with.
scooble 6y ago
I suspect it can't by definition. It is not clear how an unmanned vessel can maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing (rule 5) for example. It is possible that it has the ability to determine things like which tack another sailing vessel is on (which it will need if it is sailpowered) as well as identifying things like day shapes, light patterns and sound signals and adjusting its behaviour accordingly. I am a little doubtful though. Similar projects seem to rely on AIS for collision prevention, which will mean that it can't 'see' any recreational vessels who lack AIS type A.

option_greek 6y ago

Looks like they have found their new 'Watson' for the Ocean. At least this one probably does something useful. Everything IBM does using buzzwords seems to be to keep their consultancy business thriving and staying in the news.

Animats 6y ago

Wave Gliders [1] have been doing that for years. The tiny Wave Gliders are quite useful. They're small, smaller than a surfboard. They're considered "marine debris" for vessel safety purposes. Electronics is so small today that they carry compute power, GPS, cameras, and Iridium for communications, plus other small oceanographic instruments as desired. They're tough enough to survive hurricanes. The control center has AIS info and steers them away from vessel traffic. Propulsion is mostly passive, using wave action to propel the glider forward. They're slow, but make steady progress. It's a quiet, useful and profitable technology. [1] https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/overview/ https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/overview/

shadowprofile77 6y ago
Profitable to the manufacturers? Or profitable to buyers because of data collected?
learn_more 6y ago
I wonder how the Wave Glider deals with fouling of the umbilical from seaweed and fishing gear?

yalogin 6y ago

Sorry for the tangent, but I am surprised to see a dedicated section to Blockchain on their site. Its right alongside Cloud, IoT and Security. Wonder what they do with it. EDIT: I need to clarify a bit. I clicked on the link yes. However there are pages of it, wasn't sure if its aspirational or they actually make money off it

wilg 6y ago
Did you click it?
maxwell 6y ago
https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust https://www.ibm.com/blockchain/solutions/food-trust
rsynnott 6y ago
It was all the rage a few years back; everyone had an aspirational blockchain project. It being IBM, they’ll probably vaguely keep at it long after it’s passé.

silentwanderer 6y ago

I know this is a dumb thing to complain about, but why is their CGI so bad?

bloudermilk 6y ago

If you like autonomous ships, check out Saildrone > Saildrone designs and manufactures wind and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles called saildrones, which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. We are building the world's largest high-resolution ocean datasets, working with governments and private companies around the globe. https://climatescape.org/organizations/saildrone https://climatescape.org/organizations/saildrone

AnotherGoodName 6y ago

I feel Mary Celeste would have been a better name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste

eat_veggies 6y ago
Yes! Not only does Mary Celeste have a way cooler name and backstory than the Mayflower, it also carries fewer weird colonial/imperialist connotations.

SrslyJosh 6y ago

An unfortunate name.

decentralMike 6y ago

Oh nice a project named after diseased colonizers.