Move over, self-driving cars - self-sailing boats are here. "Autonomous systems can take on dangerous or dull tasks," says Commander Peter Pipkin, fleet robotics officer for the Royal Navy. "They allow us to employ personnel to deliver most benefit." Say ahoy! to three of our favourite craft.
These self-sailing trimarans use 13 sensors to collect environmental data or monitor the effect of seals on fish stocks. Backed by Google's Eric Schmidt, the seven-metre yachts have travelled 111,000 kilometres, with customers paying up to £2,000 a day for the data they collect.
Developed by MIT and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, the fleet of Roboats will provide transport and maybe even support self-assembling bridges. The five-year project, which has £22m in funding, is due to launch its prototype in 2017.
More lethal than your average autonomous vessel, DARPA's AWCTUV will be used to observe submarines and detect underwater mines. The 40-metre boat is about to head on a two-year test run in the Pacific.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
