On March 1, 2022, the first captainless container ship completed its round-trip voyage across the Tokyo Bay. The container ship, Suzaku, was piloted autonomously thanks to an automated collision system that successfully navigated the ship through a route 50% busier than the Singapore Strait, which sees 2,000 merchant ships traverse its waters daily. However, a crucial part of this trip’s success was the ground support station in China, which monitored the ship’s progress and remotely took over during the rare times the collision system malfunctioned. Read full article here
Technology
The First Solar-Powered Car Comes at a Hot Price
The Lightyear O is a revolutionary electric car powered by the sun. Developed by a Dutch startup, the four-door sedan has over 50 square feet of solar panels on its roof and hood, generating up to 43 miles of energy a day. With production now underway in Finland, the car does come with a hefty price tag at $262,000, but the company hopes to introduce a more affordable version, the Lightyear 2, by 2025. Read full article here