A new Mayflower is about to be unveiled in Britain, but unlike the famous ship in the history books, there are no immigrants on this high-tech research ship.
A new Mayflower is set to be unveiled in the U.K. soon -- but unlike the famed ship from the history books, there will be no pilgrims on the high-tech research vessel.
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In fact, there was not a single person on board.
In fact, there will be no one on the vessel at all.
Graceful and aerodynamic, the Mayflower was powered by wind and solar energy and was ready to set sail in the same English harbor as the Mayflower in 1620, which was famous for transporting the first European settlers from the Atlantic to North America.
This Mayflower is sleek, aerodynamic, powered by wind and solar energy, and being readied for launch in the same English port as the original 1620 ship, which is known for carrying pilgrims across the Atlantic to North America.
The Mayflower of 1620
The new ship will be the largest unmanned vessel ever to cross the Atlantic, meaning it's completely roboticized and no one is on board.
The new ship will be the largest-ever autonomous vessel to cross the Atlantic, meaning it’s fully robotic — no humans on board.
Brett Phaneuf, head of the Mayflower Autonomous Boat project, said: "I think the most similar thing about our ship to that one 400 years ago is that none of us are sure we're going to succeed. But our risk was much smaller than theirs at the time. ”
“I think the most similar thing between this project and the original 400 years ago was that neither of us are sure we were gonna make it,” Brett Phaneuf, director of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project, said. “But our risk is much smaller than their risk.”
The vessel, led by marine research group ProMare and supported by IBM, will carry three research modules to remotely collect data on ocean health and even listen to whale and dolphin sounds.
The ship, led by marine research organization ProMare and supported by IBM, will carry three research pods to remotely gather data on the health of the sea and even listen for whales and dolphins.
The unmanned ship has many tasks, such as demonstrating the feasibility of unmanned ships, collecting and analyzing "microplastics" in seawater for researchers to study.
It has numerous goals, from proving that autonomous vehicles can make this type of voyage, to allowing researchers to analyze microplastics in water samples collected by the ship.
The boat is completely different from the traditional boat, without sails and various ropes, replaced by a three-pronged hull, a smooth metal design and a single sail. It is about 15 meters long and has a speed of up to 20 knots.
MAS bears little resemblance to an old-fashioned ship, trading in sails and rigging for a three-pronged, sleek metal design, with a single windsail. It is around 15 metres long, and can travel as fast as 20 knots.
New "Mayflower" computer composite
The artificial intelligence that drives it was originally developed for the banking industry, allowing it to "think" and avoid potential harms.
The artificial intelligence that drives it was originally developed for the banking industry, enabling it to “think” and avoid potential hazards.
Don Scott, the project's chief technology officer, said: "So, in a sense, the ship actually has a deeper relationship with modern banks than the old Mayflower. ”
“So, in a way, this ship actually has more to do with a modern bank than it does with the old Mayflower, to be honest,” Don Scott, Chief Technology Officer of the project, said.
The new Mayflower was assembled at a shipyard in Poland. To commemorate the 400th anniversary of mayflower's voyage, the transatlantic crossing was scheduled for September this year, but it has been postponed due to COVID-19.
MAS was assembled at a shipyard in Poland. Its trans-Atlantic crossing was supposed to happen this September as a tribute to the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower launch, but it has been delayed because of COVID-19.
Rose Lickorish, a software developer at IBM, said: "Having self-driving boats that don't need to rely on people means that we can continue to do important research and collect data that really matters. ”
"Having autonomous ships where we don't need to rely on people to be on board, that means that we can continue to do that vital research and collect that really important data,” said Rose Lickorish, an IBM Software developer.
The ship will conduct sea trials over the next six months before sailing from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, usa, next spring.
The ship will spend the next six months in sea trials before a planned crossing next spring, from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts.
These trials will enable researchers to monitor how cloud-based "AI captains" handle sea situations and the challenges they face.
The trials will allow researchers to monitor how the cloud-based “AI Captain” handles conditions at sea and the challenges thrown at it.
来源：CTV News，原标题：This high-tech ship named after the Mayflower is the largest autonomous vessel to try to cross the Atlantic，作者：Paul Workman以及Alexandra Mae Jones