An unmanned robotic boat retracing the Mayflower’s 1620 sea voyage has arrived near Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, over 400 years after the European settlers’ initial pilgrimage.
The vessel known as the Mayflower Autonomous Ship docked beside a replica of its namesake in Plymouth Harbor on Thursday after navigating a roughly 3,500-mile journey from England, relying on computer systems and artificial intelligence.
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The 50-foot trimaran set out from Plymouth, England, in April after two years of delays. The ship was forced to call off its original departure date after Plymouth’s 400th-anniversary celebration was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A year later, it set sail but was forced to return to England after 400 miles due to technical difficulties, according to the Associated Press.
We made it home ?? pic.twitter.com/M4tf2CSkgV
— AI Captain – Mayflower Autonomous Ship (@AI_Mayflower) June 30, 2022
Its most recent journey was not without some hiccups as well, stopping in the Azores and Halifax, Nova Scotia, before making its way to Plymouth.
The ship, designed by a partnership between IBM and Promare, a marine research nonprofit group, reported that it has “6 AI-powered cameras, more than 30 sensors and 15 Edge devices” onboard, according to a company statement.
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The ship’s technology is also designed to reroute around hazards or marine species without human intervention.
Data collected from the ship is expected to be analyzed, providing information about whales, microplastic pollution, and more.
