Artificial Intelligence and automation certainly have an impact on the transportation sector; however, it is mainly heard about autonomous cars, busses, and other forms of land transportation. A little is known about the impact of automation on water transport.
Water transportation is a big factor in the world’s economy when it comes to cargo and resource exploitation. And there are also many people involved in the maritime business. A lot of sailors risk their life on a daily basis, working on seas and oceans performing tasks that are often very simple, yet requiring a lot of physical and psychical strength. Apart from not being able to lead a “normal” life on land. Living under the same roof with a sailor I know first-hand how troubling this job can be. And why in the era of AI developed well enough to “drive” cars and perform simple decision making we still need people to navigate ships? We have seen some movement in this sector in 2018 when Rolls-Royce and Finferries demonstrated the first fully autonomous car ferry. Ferries operate simply, perform repeatable tasks, sail the same route so it was high time to introduce an autonomous solution.
Having a discussion with a friend we reached a conclusion that the biggest threat for automobile cars are cars driven by humans because humans are not predictable. So is even more rational to start “testing” AI on the sea, where there is less risk of collision and less risk of putting human life in danger. Of course, there are drawbacks such as very harsh conditions and lack of internet connection.
These obstacles seem to be defeated by invented in the 2019 Mayflower Autonomous Ship. The name is not accidental. It is named after the original Mayflower, the ship that took the first British pilgrims to North America. It is also about to sail the same route in Spring 2021, the 401st anniversary of the original voyage. Only with this difference, that instead of carrying 102 people on deck it will have not a single soul on deck.
But the goal of this ship is not only recreating the original Mayflower’s trip, Autonomous Mayflower will aim to collect data about ocean’s conditions such as microplastic contamination, temperature, salinity, depth, measuring whale population, phytoplankton productivity, and ocean chemistry.
In order to fulfill its mission Mayflower needed to be rightfully equipped. Without the human factor, designers did not have to consider the crew’s wellbeing, places to eat, sleep, and shower. The design is entirely devoted to functionality.
Firstly, the system needed to be independent when it comes to the internet connection. For research purposes, there will be the following equipment installed:
- fluorometer- to monitor fluorescence and detect algae and phytoplankton, because they can indicate the ocean’s state,
- water sampling array- for taking samples of water for further analysis,
- underwater noise recorder and microphone- it will be used to research the distribution of whales and other maritime mammals
- Oceanographic sensors- to measure water salinity, temperature, and oxygen levels
- Global navigation- GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)- it will measure sea level and detect currents and surface flow
- HD video and accelerometer- to measure the energy of waves in real-time, it will provide the information that can be useful to protect shipping and oil rigs. Also, if proved sufficient, wave energy potentially could be a source of renewable energy
- HyperTaste- which is a system detecting characteristics of liquids.
The research possibilities are impressive, but so is the AI captain. It is able to detect cargo ships, vessels, buoys, and any other obstacle on the way. It can quickly analyze the type of other ship, class, weight, speed, and cargo. It can make decisions regarding the best actions for Mayflower, analyze possible options, and avoid collisions. The ship is powered with lithium ion-phosphate batteries and solar panels on the exterior. It can hold up to 700kg of ocean scientific equipment.
The Mayflower is designed as a trimaran in order to maintain a low, stable, and dynamic profile. It is made of aluminum and composite materials. It weighs around 5 tones and is 15 meters long.
At the link here you can also track its position and see the mission control panel. https://mas400.com/dashboard#currentLocation . The ones above were taken on 3 December 2020. I believe that if the Transatlantic Crossing will be successful, we will see a turn in autonomous ship development and within a couple of years see implementations of AI solutions in maritime transport. As a person who is somewhat a stakeholder in this sector, I am really looking forward to the outcome.
Sources:
https://www.sztucznainteligencja.org.pl/mayflower-wyplywa-w-morze/
https://venturebeat.com/2020/08/17/the-role-of-autonomous-ships-in-a-world-wary-of-pandemics/
https://www.wired.com/story/mayflower-autonomous-ships/
https://www.ft.com/content/06c9a10a-ec47-4c48-8e7f-fc64cd295e50