iXblue navigation technology has been selected by marine research organization ProMare, to provide highly accurate navigation capability to one of the world's first autonomous ship to cross the Atlantic: the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS).
This fully autonomous and unmanned ship is set to cross the Atlantic in April 2021, to commemorate the fourth centenary of the original Mayflower voyage and will rely on iXblue’s high-grade Octans Attitude & Heading Reference System (AHRS) to get key navigation information during its transatlantic voyage. Based on the Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology, the Octans AHRS will provide the MAS with highly accurate and robust navigation information such as the ship’s heading, roll, pitch and heave.
“We’ve depended on iXblue Phins and Octans for years across many commercial and defense programs. The Octans is easy to install and set-up, provides unparalleled precision in navigation and is bullet-proof in terms of performance and reliability…”, explains Brett Phaneuf, Managing Director at ProMare “When it comes to the Mayflower Autonomous Ship and a fully autonomous voyage across the Altantic, there simply was no other choice than Octans. Bringing iXblue onboard is a fantastic addition to our consortium of supporter and partner organizations, all of whom share a passion for ocean exploration and marine technological innovation!”
“We’re very excited to be on board this adventure that will advance the development of commercial autonomous ships and help transform the future of marine research,” adds Shayan Haque, Business Development Manager for iXblue, Inc. “For our navigation technology to be chosen to provide autonomous capabilities to such an unmanned ship is an undeniable endorsement of our technology. We’re very proud to be onboard the MAS.”