The Drones are here and ignoring regs

[El Pinguino]

Is it just me that has noticed that the 'drone' in the OP is being pulled along on a length of string like a child's toy?

Don't know why we need these 'drones' as the oceans are already full of these ones.. Data Buoys - Observator Group

Lookee here..... http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shiplocations.phtml

All those black dots with the 5 digit 'names' are , to the best of my knowledge, data buoys.

[El Pinguino]

But wait, there's more!

Just a sample of weather buoys in the Western Approaches Favesham Weather Station - Bouoy Data

Has any one ever come across one of the big ODAS moored buoys.... hit one of them and you would know about it.... I've seen them marked on paper charts but never found one on an electronic chart...

Here you go... more things that go bump! in the night... NDBC - Tropical Atlantic Recent Marine Data

[CarlF]

Finally, El Pinguino has it right.

COLREGS probably doesn't even apply to these things because they aren't "vessels" (vessels are defined as watercraft used for transportation in COLREGS)

These drones gather data like offshore buoys. But they have huge advantages over a buoy:

- You don't need a $80,000/day 200ft buoy tender with 15 man crew and a large carbon footprint to maitain the buoy and fix it when it breaks. If you look at El Pinguino's link about 20% of the buoys aren't reporting right now (e.g. "broke")

- And this is open ocean not crowded waterways. The statistical odds of hitting a buoy or drone at sea are incredibly small. And unlike a buoy, the drone will use its AIS to sail out of the way of ships. The thing is a computer. You don't have an AIS transciever? Here's another reason to get one -- for my safety as well as yours.

- And if there actually were to be a collision, any boat big enough to be offshore has the mass to just shove the drone aside. The thing couldn't weigh more than a few hundred pounds and isn't made of steel. There might be a bang and maybe even a scratch in the paint. Offshore buoys have to be much bigger because they have to support the weight of a few thousand meters of anchor cable.

More than pizza, I'd love to have a few of these drones between Ft. Lauderdale and Bimini telling me what to expect when crossing.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Has any one ever come across one of the big ODAS moored buoys.... hit one of them and you would know about it.... I've seen them marked on paper charts but never found one on an electronic chart...

gee they are on my chartplotter that is using 15 year old map cards

[GoingWalkabout]

Now the British Navy is deploying speedboat drones capable of doing 50 knots.

Royal Navy unveils robot spy speedboat*




Ben Farmer, defence correspondent
5 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 7:28PM
A drone speedboat that could pave the way for a Royal Navy robot fleet of high-speed reconnaissance and surveillance vessels has been unveiled by defence scientists.

The 34ft boat can skim across the waves at more than 50kts to track high speed targets, while navigating and dodging other ships without the control of a human.

Naval commanders believe the Maritime Autonomy Surface Testbed (MAST) could herald a robot fleet of high-speed craft packed with sensors to carry out spy and scouting missions.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by CarlF

Finally, El Pinguino has it right.

COLREGS probably doesn't even apply to these things because they aren't "vessels" (vessels are defined as watercraft used for transportation in COLREGS)

These drones gather data like offshore buoys. But they have huge advantages over a buoy:

- You don't need a $80,000/day 200ft buoy tender with 15 man crew and a large carbon footprint to maitain the buoy and fix it when it breaks. If you look at El Pinguino's link about 20% of the buoys aren't reporting right now (e.g. "broke")

- And this is open ocean not crowded waterways. The statistical odds of hitting a buoy or drone at sea are incredibly small. And unlike a buoy, the drone will use its AIS to sail out of the way of ships. The thing is a computer. You don't have an AIS transciever? Here's another reason to get one -- for my safety as well as yours.

- And if there actually were to be a collision, any boat big enough to be offshore has the mass to just shove the drone aside. The thing couldn't weigh more than a few hundred pounds and isn't made of steel. There might be a bang and maybe even a scratch in the paint. Offshore buoys have to be much bigger because they have to support the weight of a few thousand meters of anchor cable.

More than pizza, I'd love to have a few of these drones between Ft. Lauderdale and Bimini telling me what to expect when crossing.

Reading an article about Rolls Royce who are making drone ships the company spokesperson said they are looking at getting changes of the COLREGS through to allow for their drone merchant ships.

Looks like the legal department of Rolls Royce doesn't think it is a simple mater of the regs not applying. You also have United Nations laws that cover vessels to contend with as well.

[chala]

Originally Posted by SV THIRD DAY

However, today you can't go to a restaurant without seeing the family of four staring at their devices as if the other people at the table didn't exist.

May be they are just SMSing each other.

Originally Posted by CarlF

If you look at El Pinguino's link about 20% of the buoys aren't reporting right now (e.g. "broke")

Apparently the main cause of failure is due to passer-by souveniring the aerial.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by chala

May be they are just SMSing each other.



Apparently the main cause of failure is due to passer-by souveniring the aerial.

If the unit is working, it's supposed to avoid you, right?
So , how would you steal an aerial if the unit is avoiding you ?
It would seem that would be the reason for the aerials missing??

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by thruska

So , how would you steal an aerial if the unit is avoiding you ?

The missing aerials are from BUOYS. There's not yet enough of the moving drones to matter.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

The missing aerials are from BUOYS. There's not yet enough of the moving drones to matter.

Ok so then they are not drones but buoys?
Buoys are tethered , aren't they ?
Why are they called drones?
Was I reading the info wrong ?

[Wckoek]

I find it hard for me to think that Google is doing this out of humanity when they avoid paying tax.
Robotic sailing had been out for years now but it hadn't really go anywhere near to be practical.
All they do is to collect data for their own benefit, after all the information is in their hand, and they will meet problems national security wise. Let's see what happens when they hit South China Sea.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by thruska

Ok so then they are not drones but buoys?
Buoys are tethered , aren't they ?
Why are they called drones?
Was I reading the info wrong ?

That may have been me at #91 'Don't know why we need these 'drones' as the oceans are already full of these ones.. Data Buoys - Observator Group' ... maybe didn't express meself too well...
Drones are google's new very clever idea..... their last was those bloody great balloons....

[SailOar]

Originally Posted by thruska

Ok so then they are not drones but buoys?
Buoys are tethered , aren't they ?
Why are they called drones?
Was I reading the info wrong ?

There is a "fleet" of some 4000 non-tethered data-collecting buoys floating around in the oceans. Most of the time they are parked at 1000m, but they do bob up periodically to measure surface conditions and transmit stored data.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_(oceanography)

[MarkJ]

4,000 of them! Wow!

Without getting tooooo political: notice how many USA & Australia supply?

No wonder Trump gets traction when he says the rest of the world arn't paying their share.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

That may have been me at #91 'Don't know why we need these 'drones' as the oceans are already full of these ones.. Data Buoys - Observator Group' ... maybe didn't express meself too well...
Drones are google's new very clever idea..... their last was those bloody great balloons....

Thanks guys, gals...
I missed a couple posts.
The Argo project uses drifting floats. The distinction between floats, bouys, and drones was not clear. Floats and bouys are hardly drones. Drifting floats are not drones. Neither floats nor bouys by definition are autonomous.
Not a big deal really. But there are obviously some "tenders" out there fetching these "bouys" and planting them. If they are not fetching them then they become lost trash.
Just saying. Not bashing anybody or anything