From England to America unmanned ship Mayflower will proceed (2 photos + video)

The first settlers from England to North Americaarrived 400 years ago on the ship Mayflower, which became a symbol of the era of development of the continent by Europeans. For the anniversary events, scheduled for September next year, the non-profit organization Promare scheduled an unmanned crossing of the Atlantic on a small ship called the English merchant ship that brought the first settlers to America in 1620.

Like the progenitor, the new Mayflower AutonomousThe Research Ship (MARS) starts from the English port of Plymouth and will have to overcome more than 5 thousand km to Plymouth in Massachusetts. This will be the first large-sized robotic ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean autonomously.

The success of the enterprise will be guaranteed by technicalSupport from IBM, which supplies navigation systems using external cameras, radars, lidars (optical analogs of radars). The data obtained using the instruments are used to navigate the system of the most accurate modern maps.

The vessel is operated offlinehowever, the system periodically contacts the outside world to confirm navigation data and obtain weather forecasts. The navigation system is able to recognize floating objects, up to small debris and buoys. At the same time, the Mayflower route will be adjusted and laid depending on the environment and weather forecast.

The movement of the ship will occur due to the energy of the sun, wind and in emergency cases with the help of diesel electric generators.
During the jubilee pilot crossing projectAtlantic drone will test a new technology of navigation, excluding human intervention. However, the vessel will also conduct research activities to study the flora and fauna of the ocean, as well as assess the environmental threat to the ocean from human life.

Numerous sensors installed on the ship,they will record ocean inhabitants and plastic waste, analyze the state of water and air, control the level of ambient temperature. The data will be useful for research in meteorology, ecology, biology and oceanography.

The main advantage of such autonomousresearch vessels may, according to the developers, become a small cost of autonomous navigation with an almost unlimited radius and duration of the expedition.

Mayflower Autonomous Research Ship will be insured by Gard and this will be the first time an insurance policy is issued to an unmanned vessel.