HALIFAX, NS—After a voyage lasting 40 days and covering approximately 3,500 nautical miles, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) safely arrived here. The 49-foot trimaran departed Plymouth, England, with no human captain or onboard crew. Instead, MAS was equipped with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technology and automated navigation systems.
The ship was designed and built by marine research nonprofit ProMare, with IBM Corp. acting as lead technology and science partner. AI and edge computing technologies guided the vessel and made real-time decisions while at sea, which enabled MAS to safely navigate around buoys, cargo ships and other ocean hazards.