Mayflower Autonomous Ship Launches

I am excited to talk today about the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project, which IBM is supporting as part of a global consortium led by marine research organization, ProMare. The goal of the project is to build an unmanned, fully autonomous (no man in the loop) ship called the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS). The ship’s autonomy is enabled by a number of deep learning models developed using POWER AC922 servers and IBM Maximo Visual Inspection (formerly PowerAI Vision). These learning models allow the ship to “see” where it is going, and navigate the constantly varied environments of both the open ocean and inland waterways.

The MAS project also provides a unique opportunity to push our AI & Hybrid Cloud technologies to the limits, creating more robust and resilient systems that maintain continuity and anticipate hazards even in the most adverse conditions. Automation at sea has far-reaching potential for both industry and research. In industry, it will transform transportation, supply chain, and marine industries – creating more efficient, safer, and more environmentally models in these areas. In research, the ability to embark on extended voyages that are not limited in duration or environment by humans opens up the possibility of long-term studies in areas of the ocean far from port.

This week, all of the hard work from IBM and the consortium partners has come to fruition as the MAS sets out on its maiden voyage. Of course, first the ship had to be officially christened. The christening ceremony took place at the very same port from which the original Mayflower launched 400 years ago, and used gin, which was the custom at the time.

From this celebration, the ship will start a test campaign sailing on a few expeditions around the British Isles and to the Netherlands before embarking on its transatlantic voyage in the spring of 2021. It will carry out a variety of important research programs, the results of which will help expand our understanding of the world’s oceans and provide insights for sustainability, ocean health, and improvements in ocean transport across multiple industries.

Some of the IBM Research projects on deck for the voyage are:

-      Ocean Chemistry: using HyperTaste, an AI-assisted “tongue” that enables rapid chemical characterization of liquid samples to help scientists analyze salinity and nutrient levels in seawater

-      Intelligent Navigation 2.0: comparing ship decisions to alternative options and algorithms, to study technology alternatives for future autonomous vehicles and optimize sea navigation

-      Whale Song: recording underwater sounds with a digital hydrophone tied to AI deep learning software to research the population and distribution of whales

-      Anomaly Detection: using hull mounted hydrophones and AI analysis on the fly to make connections between recorded sounds and maintenance needs to predict maintenance for future vessels

To learn more about the MAS voyage, the research being conducted on the ship, and IBM’s role in advancing the technology of unmanned ocean navigation, I encourage you to visit the Mayflower Autonomous Ship web portal From there, you can also follow along as the MAS sails across the Atlantic and track its progress from Plymouth, UK to Plymouth, US.

Congratulations again to the POWER team for helping to make this impactful project a reality. I can’t wait to see what the MAS ship accomplishes and am proud to say that our IBM Systems technology forms the foundation for its success.