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."

how about something a bit simpler

[jacquesm]

Like a robot that builds a house or so. A bit more useful too...

Robotics challenges are usually somehow tied to military objectives such as navigating a certain terrain, rarely do they focus on something constructive and creative.

Oh wait, another RP post...

Re:how about something a bit simpler

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Military applications can be considered "creative destruction", so it's not all mindless stuff.

On top of that, if you consider the current role of the army as a nation builder, then it is also important that the military be creatively constructive.

It's a bit small!

[Chief Wongoller]

This boat is only 3.65 meters long - that's a mere twelve feet, which is smaller than many dingies I have sailed. Normally sailing craft have to be much bigger to withstand the ferocity of ocean winds and waves,which simply swamp craft of this size. So how can it possibly stay afloat for several months?

Re:It's a bit small!

[KokorHekkus]

Actually, if it's smaller it can propably withstand the ocean forces more easily in most cases since there will be less chance of the forces finding something in the construction that will provide leverage. Just take a pencil hold it with your fingertips at the end and snap it off, it should be pretty easy for most people. Then try doing the same thing to an inch long pencil stump.

And with a smaller boat you can easily build an almost unsinkable craft if you use a sandwich-type hull filled with enough floatation material so that even if the hull is completly waterfilled the boat will not sink. This was what Sven Yrvind used in some of his constructions ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven_Yrvind [wikipedia.org] )

What about liability?

[Anonymous Coward]

Having looked into this a few years ago, there's a real issue with Autonomous watercraft, in terms of their legal treatment. What happens if a supertanker or cruise ship happens to have an accident and your little widget is in the area? Just how much liability insurance are you carrying? The law of the sea doesn't appear to accommodate autonomous stuff very well.