California company develops unmanned sailboat to combat climate change

Now Alameda, California-based Saildrone has deployed more than 100 autonomous sailboats of the same name equipped with artificial intelligence to monitor ocean and weather data, count fish populations, and Map the ocean floor. The bright red Saildrone looks a bit like a futuristic kayak with a pontoon and is 23 feet long. It has a sail with solar panels (they are powered by the sun and propelled by the wind) and an airplane-like tail. The ship is equipped with a number of data sensors, radar equipment and high-resolution cameras that monitor factors such as ocean currents, wind speed, solar radiation, ocean and air temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide emissions, and feeds them back to Saildrone headquarters via satellite.

Saildrone sailboats are equipped with artificial intelligence so they can steer themselves and perform missions anywhere in the world without needing refueling or human help for months on end. Their ability to travel in harsh environments such as the Arctic makes them incredibly valuable for crew safety and cost-effectiveness. Saildron customers can track the Saildrone's position online in real time, view the photos it is taking, and analyze local weather and ocean conditions. AI actually programs them to go to a place and then perform a task. A lot of it is pre-planned by headquarters, and then Saildrone does its job and the customer just follows it via satellite communications.

Saildrone uses single-beam and multi-beam sonar depth sounders to map ocean landscapes, providing detailed views of the ocean floor. It is equipped with sonar that records the depth of the ocean floor. Saildrone hopes to use it to fill all the gaps in bathymetry measurements around the world. Saildrone can also help control overfishing by using sonar technology to count fish stocks and tell governments how many fish can be caught each season.

Saildrone is also experimenting with a new concept called maritime domain awareness, which deploys a small fleet of unmanned ships to monitor and patrol a small ocean area. In October 2020, Saildrone conducted a demonstration in Hawaii, sending a group of drones to identify fishing boats, monitor ocean conditions, and keep a close eye on illegal fishing and other activities. They can forward images of suspicious vessels that may not have appropriate identification numbers, or identify vessels that may be in distress.

The more than 100 Saildrones built to date have proven valuable.They help connect satellite data with NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites and confirm 24-hour information collected from outer space and the ocean surface. They are also setting records. In 2019, a Saildrone circled the Southern Ocean, traveling more than 1,400 miles around Antarctica to observe winter carbon dioxide outgassing. Later that year, a Saildrone became the first and fastest unmanned sailing ship to cross the Atlantic in both directions, completing the journey in just 68 days.

　(Original title: California company develops unmanned sailboat to cope with the threat of climate change)