SPECIAL REPORT
‘Vessel not under command’ looks set to take on a new meaning, with the race to develop a new generation of boats that are sailed by artificial intelligence (AI). But what will it mean for other water users?
Today we’re all familiar with the concept of autonomous vehicles. Self-driving cars are the next development frontier, and the tools needed to make them a reality are being intensively tested by some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech firms. Less well known is the similar trajectory being followed in the marine industry.
So-called unmanned autonomous vehicles, or marine drones, are attracting research interest from everyone from backyard inventors up to engineering behemoths like Rolls-Royce. They come in all shapes and sizes, with intended purposes varying from meteorology and oceanology, to cargo, surveillance and defence.
From the outside, some resemble normal sailing multihulls. You might never realise there is no human aboard Artemis Technologies’ self-sailing cat, for example, with its 50-knot top speed. The Belfast-based company has based its
