Sailing Robots To Attempt Atlantic Crossing

Roland Piquepaille writes "The Times of London reports that seven robotic craft will compete in a race across the Atlantic Ocean in October 2008. One of them, 'Pinta the robot sailing boat,' has been designed at Aberystwyth University in Wales. Pinta is expected to sail for three months at a maximum speed of four knots (about 7.4 kph). Its designers hope the Pinta will become the first robot to cross an ocean using only wind power. This 150-kilogram sailing robot costs only $4,900. The transatlantic race will start between September 29 and October 5, 2008 from Portugal. The winner will be the first boat to reach a finishing line between the northern tip of St. Lucia and the southern tip of Martinique in the Caribbean. Here are additional details and links."

Natives are done for

[explosivejared]

Hmmm... historic trans-Atlantic journey by sea. Seems history is repeating itself.

If the white men hadn't done enough to the natives already... well then the coming robotic horde will mop up the rest. To all my indigenious friends out there, they say they come in peace now, but remember the last time you heard that.

Re:how about something a bit simpler

[Anonymous Coward]

St. Lucia and the southern tip of Martinique in the Caribbean

Don't you see? They are going to corner the no-frills transfer to exotic holiday destinations?

Whalesong?

[Goffee71]

Hopefully the robo-boat will be sung at by whales, learn their language and spread a message of peace and hope for mankind, while sending a signal into space for the whale's ancestors to pick them up. At which point the military will step in and blow it to bits. Now here's Larry with the Sport

Got to go to a tropical island for three months

[MosesJones]

Now that is genius. Aber for anyone who doesn't know is one of the coldest, wettest, windiest and bleakest places in the UK, its okay in the summer but these students and their prof have just come up with a reason to be on a tropical island for three months "you never know when it might actually arrive".

Cheap booze, great weather, women in bikinis and no threats from the druids... brilliant.

Re:Natives are done for

[jellomizer]

I for one welcome our new Robotic overlords.

Re:I say old boy...

[Linker3000]

Indeed old chap - we let you have the old one.

Mind you, I hear rumour that the poor old buyer mistakenly thought he was getting our dear Tower Bridge.

Silly Sausage.

Re:Natives are done for

[Anonymous Coward]

This takes us one step closer to robot pirates. Pit them against ninja zombie gorillas and you'll have all the ingredients for a nerdgasm felt around the world.

Re:how about something a bit simpler

[ColdWetDog]

It's all about money, right?

Anything about sailing is about money:

Definition of sailing: Sitting in a cold shower, ripping up $100 bills.

The fact they can get something with a sail to operate in anything larger than a bathtub for $4900 has me impressed!

Re:how about something a bit simpler

[ColdWetDog]

Have you ever been involved in a) robotics or b) house-building? Combining robots' limited capacity for detecting and dealing with "messy" and unpredictable situations with the reality of putting things together outside of pristine, well-supervised factory conditions is not going to work out all that well, at least with the current levels of technology.

What runs through my mind here is a new form of battle bot -

General_Contractor_bot: "Where the hell is the Framing_bot?"
Electrician_bot: BEEP! "Don't know, go find him yourself you mindless droid!"
General_Contractor_bot: "Call me a droid, will you?!"

(Sparks fly)
Meanwhile Plumbing_bot runs in circles because it talks only in ObjectiveC and doesn't understand anyone else. Besides, it doesn't want to get dirty.

I think this sort of thing would be the most likely scenario..

Re:how about something a bit simpler

[Em Adespoton]

On the other hand, this would make remodeling MUCH easier :) Just hope your house doesn't get a virus while you're taking a shower.