In 1620, a ship known as the Mayflower carried a group of English families from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, leading to the establishment of the first permanent New England colony and the beginning of the history of colonial America. Four centuries later, an autonomous robotic boat has replicated the journey.

The sleek autonomous trimaran docked in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Sunday, after more than five weeks crossing the Atlantic. The 50-feet Mayflower Autonomous Ship was built by ocean research non-profit ProMare and IBM and did not carry any humans on board.

Instead, the ship was piloted by an innovative artificial intelligence technology.

Autonomous Mayflower robot boat reaches North America/ ProMare and IBM

Image credit: IBM

“The technology that makes up the...