Microtransat robot sailing takes to the high seas this fall

Maybe our robo-challenges speak something to our respective histories: Americans have spent the last few years driving intelligent vehicles through vast expanses of desert, but over in Europe, scientists and technologists are preparing for this fall's Microtransat, wherein machines must sail across the Atlantic propelled only by wind and artificial intelligence. The race, intended as a public proof of concept for long-range autonomous sea-faring scientific vessels, should take the, um, roboats three months to complete.

[Via Piquepaille]

[grjohnston @ May 11th 2008 7:00PM]

Roboats! HAHA!!!

(No, I'm serious. This is not your standard internet sarcasm. That's perfect!)

[uclatommy @ May 11th 2008 7:03PM]

If current trends are any indication, the future will be full of autonomous electric vehicles. Awesome.

[andres @ May 11th 2008 7:26PM]

and no humans to ride in them

[Ignatius @ May 11th 2008 9:13PM]

I, for one, welcome our sea-faring sailbot overlords.

[rv @ May 11th 2008 7:17PM]

The only question remaining: Can the get to the fucking island and end the show???

[luzzio @ May 11th 2008 7:23PM]

*bum bada bish*

[Gregersonk @ May 11th 2008 7:30PM]

Smart sailing software sounds really cool. I wonder if it they'll be able to figure out a way to work with the chute at 25 knots on the lee.

[Campbell @ May 11th 2008 7:35PM]

It's a gadget website dude, no need to flex your sailing ePenis here...

[Benson @ May 11th 2008 7:30PM]

Propelled by artificial intelligence...
That'd be artificial psychokinesis?

[dajimmers @ May 11th 2008 8:10PM]

Expect 8th-page articles on unmanned ghost ship sightings to start appearing in the papers soon.

[Evan @ May 11th 2008 8:45PM]

For a race, that boat is not going to be very fast without a jib or spinnaker, but I guess that have to keep it as simple as possible for the robotic control.

[kr @ May 11th 2008 10:26PM]

I'm gonna basically repeat Campbell's comment here:
It's a gadget website, we don't need you to comment just to show everyone you know about sailing.

[fragge @ May 11th 2008 10:46PM]

@kr - he's correct.. without a jib, this thing is going to be hamstrung in a race... no need to try and look like a clueless geek with no knowledge of the world about him other than that he absorbs through blogs on his mother's computer, get outside and see the fucking world.

[Benson @ May 12th 2008 12:44AM]

@fragge

Yeah, it'll be slow. But it's racing against other APK sailboats, so, unless the other teams can figure out the added complexity, it may not be at a disadvantage.

[kingu @ May 11th 2008 8:46PM]

Enter the crytoplasmic comforts of a small confinement inside a wobbly seanse and wake up in the future, or err...

This bloat does not flote.

[H4MM3R @ May 11th 2008 8:54PM]

Arrr I'm working on autonomous pirates.

[Pseudorant @ May 11th 2008 9:09PM]

This seems a little less challenging than the project that was done in the desert. How many sensors do you need to avoid all the obstacles you may encounter in the middle of the ocean. :P

[Za @ May 11th 2008 9:49PM]

Clearly you have never sailed...driving's a little bit easier. You know, the road doesn't move when you're driving, for one.

[roflercopterer @ May 11th 2008 9:21PM]

It's no Horatio Hornblower

[marty.com.au @ May 11th 2008 11:02PM]

This is terrible for the environment.
Imagine of the computer gets sea sick,
It will be throwing up silicon with little squares of orange nano-particles overt the side…

[Ian @ May 12th 2008 1:15AM]

that made me lol. thank you

[Makalu @ May 12th 2008 12:30AM]

Well, from what I heard about the self-driving cars, none could even make it across the finish line. How well are self-driving boats going to do?

[Ian @ May 12th 2008 1:17AM]

actually a few cars have finished it. the first race none of them did but the latest one the VW finished first.

[whizlap @ May 12th 2008 4:55PM]

Computer gets seasick - atonomous pirates - yuk yuk

Actually, one could easily rig a self-tailing jib. There ARE 'one meter'
radio controlled sailboats already out there.

Campbell and kr - back to your sandboxes - it's past your bedtime.

DW

[Wout Mertens @ May 20th 2008 4:32PM]

Now you guys have to read "I, rowboat", a neat story by Cory Doctorow. http://www.flurb.net/1/doctorow.htm