Connectivity Specialist Slingshot6 Joins Mayflower Autonomous Ship Project
Devon business Slingshot Six Limited, a specialist provider of autonomous vehicle connectivity services has joined the international effort to build the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS), an unmanned, fully autonomous transatlantic research vessel built to help scientists gather critical data about the health of the ocean. Slingshot6 joins an illustrious international project team led by ProMare and its technology partner, IBM.
Due to sail unmanned and fully autonomously across the Atlantic later in the year, the Mayflower
will follow a similar course to the original Mayflower crossing made 400 years ago.
Turnchapel Wharf is the homeport for the MAS which is continuing to undergo seatrials ahead of her planned voyage in 2021.
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) mission will not only commemorate the original Mayflower crossing but also advance technologies that could transform the shipping industry and help gather
critical data about the ocean.
The ship will help scientists from ProMare, IBM Research, and other organizations study climate change, micro-plastic pollution, and marine-mammal conservation, among other issues. ‘We are excited to be part of the project, and glad to be able to help connect the remote AI developers and research scientists to onboard devices, imagery and instrumentation during the mission.’, Said Martin Langmaid – CTO and co-founder at Slingshot6.
‘There is no doubt that autonomous vessels have transformative roles to play in the future of marine
transport and oceanography, and our ability to provide secure, reliable, resilient connectivity during
these early stages can only accelerate that transformation.’
About Slingshot 6
Since its formation in 2015, Slingshot 6 has pioneered the use of software defined WAN (SD-WAN) connectivity in mobile and challenging remote environments. Based in the UK but with a global customer base, Slingshot 6 provides any business with the opportunity to grow through digital transformation - regardless of location.