IBM Systems, AI, cloud and edge technologies at the helm in
one of world's first autonomous transatlantic voyages
Mission to expand humankind's knowledge of the ocean and
remove barriers to marine research
Voyage will help scientists understand the accumulation of
ocean plastics - a major societal concern
LONDON, Oct. 16, 2019 /CNW/ -- IBM THINK -- IBM
(NYSE: IBM) announced today that it has joined a global consortium
of partners, led by marine research organization ProMare, that are
building an unmanned, fully-autonomous ship that will cross the
Atlantic on the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage
in September 2020.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8247554-ibm-promare-mayflower-autonomous-ship-project/
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) will use IBM's AI, most
powerful servers, cloud and edge computing technologies to navigate
autonomously and avoid ocean hazards as it makes its way from
Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts. If successful, it
will be one of the first self-navigating, full-sized vessels to
cross the Atlantic Ocean and will open the door on a new era of
autonomous research ships.
"Putting a research ship to sea can cost tens of
thousands of dollars or pounds a day and is limited by how much
time people can spend onboard – a prohibitive factor for many of
today's marine scientific missions," said Brett Phaneuf, a Founding Board Member of
ProMare and Co-Director of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship project
(together with fellow Board Member Fredrik Soreide). "With this
project, we are pioneering a cost-effective and flexible platform
for gathering data that will help safeguard the health of the ocean
and the industries it supports."
Andy Stanford-Clark, Chief
Technology Officer, IBM UK & Ireland, added: "IBM helped put man on the
moon and is excited by the challenge of using advanced technologies
to cross and research our deepest oceans. By providing the brains
for the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, we are pushing the boundaries of
science and autonomous technologies to address critical
environmental issues."
The vessel will carry three research pods containing an array of
sensors and scientific instrumentation that scientists will use to
advance understanding in a number of vital areas such as maritime
cybersecurity, marine mammal monitoring, sea level mapping and
ocean plastics. The work will be coordinated by the University of
Plymouth, UK, who are at the
forefront of marine and maritime research, with support from IBM
and ProMare.
Ocean Plastics – A Major Concern
According to a study
conducted by One Poll on behalf of
IBM in the UK, more Brits are concerned about plastics in the ocean
than any other form of plastic pollution, and 80% are worried about
microplastics ending up in the food we eat. The University of
Plymouth – a global authority in
microplastics - will lead research to advance understanding in this
critical area, analyzing water samples from MAS as it sails across
the Atlantic to understand more about the origin, distribution and
potential impact of microplastics in the ocean.
According to Professor Richard
Thompson, OBE, Director of the Marine Institute, University
of Plymouth "microplastics present
a substantial challenge to our oceans. Over 700 species come into
contact with marine litter which is found from the poles to the
equator, and estimates are that the quantity of plastic in the
oceans will triple in the decade to 2025. The Mayflower Autonomous
Ship gives us the opportunity to rethink how to collect data and
further our understanding of this global issue."
Also coming on board is the UK's University
of Birmingham which will be responsible for the use of
virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies in the MAS
mission. Birmingham's Human
Interface Technologies (HIT) Team is leading the development of a
Mixed Reality Telepresence Science Station which will allow school
children and members of the public around the world to experience
the transatlantic mission.
AI and Other Advanced Technologies at the Helm
By
pairing IBM PowerAI Vision technology with IBM Power Systems
accelerated servers (the same technology used by the world's most
powerful supercomputers), IBM is helping ProMare to build deep
learning models capable of recognizing navigation hazards which
come into view in MAS's on-board video cameras. Trained on real
data and images from the Plymouth Sound in the UK, MAS will be
capable of recognizing hazards such as buoys, debris and other
ships and will have constant situational awareness thanks to RADAR,
AIS (Automated Identification Systems) and LIDAR – the same
technology used in autonomous cars.
When a hazard is detected, MAS will use IBM's Operational
Decision Manager software to help decide autonomously whether to
change course or, in case of emergencies, speed out of the way
drawing additional power from its on-board back-up generator.
Fusing data from nautical maps, sensors and weather forecasts, MAS
will be able to determine the optimal path and speed it should take
across the Atlantic.
During the voyage, edge devices will collect and analyze ship
data and store it locally. When connectivity is available, it will
be uploaded to edge nodes located onshore. ProMare and IBM experts
will update the deep learning models and push them out to the ship
as required. The edge nodes are connected to IBM Cloud, where data
is stored in IBM Cloud Object Storage.
The hull of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship is currently being
constructed and outfitted in Gdansk, Poland by Aluship Technology, before being
transported to Plymouth, UK later
this year.
About ProMare
Established in 2001, ProMare is a
non-profit corporation and public charity that promotes marine
research and exploration throughout the world. Its team of
experienced archaeologists and engineers execute a variety of
research projects independently and in concert with academic,
corporate, public, and governmental organizations and agencies that
are designed to advance man's knowledge of history and science, and
the natural world.
For more information about ProMare, visit:
http://www.promare.org
About the University of Plymouth
The University of Plymouth is ranked as one of the UK's top 10
modern universities in the UK (Times Higher Education Young
University Rankings 2019) whose origins go back over 150 years to
the School of Navigation which was formed in 1862. The University
covers a broad range of disciplines through its research and
teaching and is a global leader in marine and maritime research,
including marine litter research and was the first university to
identify the widespread occurrence of microplastics – a term first
used by the University in 2004 and which is now in common use.
For more information about the University of Plymouth, visit:
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/institutes/marine-institute
About the University of
Birmingham's Human Interface Technologies Team
The
Human Interface Technologies (HIT) Team, based within the Extreme
Robotics Laboratory at the University of
Birmingham, has been pioneering the development and uptake
of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, together with telerobotic
technologies in the UK since 2003, building on over 32 years of
experience in those domains. The Team's award-winning research is
helping to avoid the "technology push" failures evident in the
1980s, '90s and early 2000s by developing and evaluating
demonstrators in defense, healthcare, heritage and advanced
robotics that emphasize the importance of exploiting human factors
knowledge during the design of innovative human-system
interfaces.
For more information about the University
of Birmingham's HIT team, visit:
www.birmingham.ac.uk/hit-team.
About IBM
For more information about IBM, visit:
www.ibm.com
Contacts:
Jonathan Batty
IBM Europe
jjbatty@ibm.com
+44 7741 113871
Carrie Bendzsa
IBM North America
carrie.bendzsa@ca.ibm.com
+1 613-796-3880
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SOURCE IBM