AI, captain! First autonomous ship prepares for maiden voyage

The Mayflower 400 autonomous trimaran is pictured during a sea trial in Plymouth, south west England

The ‘Mayflower 400’ -- the world's first intelligent ship -- bobs gently in a light swell as it stops its engines in Plymouth Sound, off England's southwest coast, before self-activating a hydrophone designed to listen to whales. The 50-foot (15-metre) trimaran, which weighs nine tonnes and navigates with complete autonomy, is preparing for a transatlantic voyage. On its journey the vessel, covered in solar panels, will study marine pollution and analyse plastic in the water, as well as track aquatic mammals. Eighty percent of the underwater world remains unexplored.