Patents on the soles of your shoes...: January 2021

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Oh, patents ! The SonoMask

As the second year of the new normal unfolds, wearing facemasks has become strictly mandatory. Masks are now mandatory in all Federal buildings (Biden, 2021) The CDCs have mandated that masks be worn on all public transportation (CDC,Jan 29 2021). At the State level, in California, for example, masks are mandatory the minute anyone steps out of their residence (CA.gov, Masks). In the absence of widespread vaccination, social distancing, handwashing and facemasks are known to be the most important measures of protection against the dreadfully tenacious SARS CoV-2 (Ming Hui Chua, et aL.Aug 7, 2020). Studies carried out in Washington State and NYC show that wearing face masks can significantly reduce transmission rates and death toll (Eikenberry SE, et al., (2020).

However, not all facemasks are created equal. Facemasks offer different levels of protection against airborne transmission, aerosols, and droplets. All of which contain virus particles that were exhaled, sneezed, coughed, or that were emitted when someone infected talked or sang—the louder, the greater the emission, as measured with laser light scattering (Ming Hui Chua, et aL.Aug 7, 2020). Virus-charged airborne transmission, aerosol, and droplets, that spread COVID-19 through respiratory airways, together with transmission through contact, or fomites (surfaces).

Masks are loose-fitting, in comparison to respirators. They are reusable or disposable. The degree of protection they offer, as measured by their filtering capacity, depends both on the fabric that is used, and its engineering. Very small particles, such as the SARS-CoV-2 will not be filtered through fabric such as cotton or synthetics, with large pore size. Concomitantly, surges of infection during the pandemic created a dangerous shortage of N95 masks for medical personnel. N95 masks are National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified face masks, affording 95% protection against airborne pollutants. Thus, individuals, makers, and industrial players pooled tremendous efforts to remedy the shortages. As a result, the facemask market is flooded with both homemade masks and medical-grade, or engineered masks,all of which are variably constructed, with varying degrees of protection.

The Israeli SonoMask, manufactured by Sonovia, offers an engineered solution. The SonoMask is coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles that destroy bacteria, fungi, and viruses, using patented sono-finishing technology, developed during the first decade of the 21^st century. The ultrasonic technology embeds the nanoparticles into the fabric. Independent laboratory testing indicated 99.34% protection against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The masks are reusuable, and active through 55-wash cycles. Thus, the Sonomask also offers an environmentally-aware solution.

The Sono-finishing technology is patented in the US utility patent US9315937B2, titled Sonochemical coating of textiles with metaloxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial fabrics. The sonochemical technology was developed at the Bar Ilan University, in Tel Aviv, Israel, with a scope that extends far beyond facemasks for protection against SARS CoVID-2 Indeed, beyond protection from pathogens, applications exist for fire-retardancy, UV protection, oil/water repellency, and dyeing. The process might also be applied to many different sorts of fabrics, such as hospital beds, car seats, theater seats, clothing, sports clothing, hotel textiles, plus more.

The abstract of this invention is included below, together with the patent Figure 2 showing the fabric: uncoated (a), coated (b) and magnified (c). An image of the mask as it is marketed is also included. The company has partnered with fashion brands Channel, Gucci, and Adidas, within the context of the Fashion for Good Network, to accelerate the production of super safe masks.

We disclose a system for preparing antimicrobial fabrics, coated with metal oxide nanoparticles by means of a novel sonochemical method. These antibacterial fabrics are widely used for production of outdoor clothes, under-wear, bed-linen, bandages, etc. The deposition of metal oxides known to possess antimicrobial activity, namely ZnO, MgO and CuO, can significantly extent the applications of textile fabrics and prolong the period of their use. By means of the novel sonochemical method disclosed here, uniform deposition of metal oxide nanoparticles is achieved simply. [Abstract US9315937B2]

References

Biden, J. (Jan 20, 2021) Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing. Executive Order – The White house. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-requiring-mask-wearing/

CA.gov Masks https://tinyurl.com/y5rk6xkm

CDC (Jan 29, 2021) Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html

Eikenberry SE, et al., (2020) To mask or not to mask: Modeling the potential for face mask use by the general public to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. Infect Dis Model. 2020; 5():293-308.. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7186508/

Fashion for Good https://fashionforgood.com/

Keyser, Z. (Dec. 27, 2020) Lab tests suggest Israeli-made face mask eliminates over 99% of coronavirus. The Jerusalem Post. https://tinyurl.com/y6yphndf

Sonovia https://sonoviatech.com

Ming Hui Chua, et al.(Aug 7, 2020) ,Face Masks in the New COVID-19 Normal: Materials, Testing, and Perspectives. Research (Wash D C). 2020; 2020: 7286735. Published online 2020 Aug 7. doi: 10.34133/2020/7286735

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Interlude - The Teeter Totter Wall Project

Designed by the Chair of the SJSU Department of Design, Professor Virginia San Fratello, in collaboration with UC Berkeley Architecture Professor Ronald Rael, and the Colectivo Chopeke in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, the Teeter Totter Wall project briefly transformed the horrors of separation and cartel violence, surrounding the US-Mexican border wall, into a fun and joyful playground for children and their families. This miracle project, consisting of three pink see-saws wedged between the steel gaps of the wall, was only up and running for 40 minutes, on July 28, 2019. The project was technically impermanent, essentially because it is unlawful to permanently affix any sort of object, or structure, onto government property. Nonetheless, the short duration was plenty of time for the Teeter Totter Wall project to garner more than one prestigious award, after footage of the event went viral, and extensive media coverage.

However short-lived, the transformation of a small section of one of the most controversial pieces of construction in the United States, into a physical, and metaphorical, fulcrum of opportunity, created an exemplary work of resilience and activism. As Ronald Rael put it, the driving force of the project was an attempt to “dismantle the wall, to dismantle its meaning and identity, to disempower it in some way” (Rael San Fratello, April 2020). San Fratello also pointed out that the seesaws were painted bright pink, together with a bright palette of colors for the seats, in memory of the women, also weavers, victims of savage femicide in Cuidad Juarez, just across the US city of El Paso, Texas, on the other side of the wall (Rael San Fratello, April 2020). For Rael, “the dragon was slain”, at least temporarily, as the seesaws were thrust into the wall’s gaps, during installation. Indeed, most recently, on January 19, 2021, on the final day of the Trump Administration, the Teeter Totter Wall project was awarded the London (UK) Beazley Design Museum Award of the Year, (best overall, out of six categories), the equivalent of an Oscar in Design (Staff, Beazley Museum).

The below YouTube video captures a few enchanting moments of the fleeting project, when it was installed and in use. Both Professors Ronald Rael and Victoria San Fratello are seen seesawing into the sky, 10 seconds into the video.

References

Colectivo Chopeke https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cause/Colectivo-Chopeke-158264838093669/

Emerging Objects http://emergingobjects.com/

Rael San Fratello https://www.rael-sanfratello.com/

Rael San Fratello (April 24, 2020) Transforming the border wall into a teeter-totter. Artist Stories, MOMA. https://youtu.be/1bbeBo3te5E?list=TLPQMjkwMTIwMjFuRL2AOoFmSA

Rael, R. (2017) Borderwall as Architecture: A manifesto for the US-Mexico boundary. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Rael, R. (UCB Faculty webpage) https://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/ronald-rael

San Fratello, V. (SJSU Faculty webpage) https://www.sjsu.edu/design/interior-design/faculty/vsfratello.php

Staff (Jan. 19, 2021) Beazley Designs of the Year 2020 Winners revealed. Beazley Design Museum. https://www.beazley.com/news/2021/beazley_designs_of_the_year_2020_winners_revealed.html?

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Oh, patents! Oh, CocoTerra!

Ever dream of making your own artisan bean-to-bar chocolate, in the comfort of your own home? Wake-up! The CocoTerra countertop chocolate-making factory will be available sometime in 2021.

The CocoTerra countertop, chocolate-making, factory will enable you to make your very own nibs-to-spaceship-looking-bar, using nibs that include a certificate of origin, and a circular mold. Nibs are dried, fermented and cracked cacao beans, obtained after harvesting cacao pods from the cacao tree, and removal of the seeds, called cacao beans, from the pods. As for the 360-degree mold, it will make your artisan chocolate even more unique. The CocoTerra process is shown in the YouTube video below.

CocoTerra nibs from different origins, such as Western Ghana, the Dominican Republic and Madagascar, will be available in retail, or to order via the app. Each package of nibs will display a QR Code, pointing to a CocoTerra recipe, which the CocoTerra machine will execute, once connected via Bluetooth® to a phone, tablet or computer. The CocoTerra chocolate-making facotry will execute the recipe directly as stored via the CocoTera app, or with various possible degrees of coached customization. This way the CocoTerra chocolate-making factory might appeal to both novice, and professional artisans.

Once an existing recipe is selected or customized, or a new recipe is designed, and launched, the machine will go through all the manufacturing processes of chocolate making, right on your countertop. In other words, the machine will do all the grinding, refining, conching, tempering and molding, in approximately 2 hours, depending on the recipe. All the user does, after selecting, customizing or creating a recipe, is add the four main ingredients (nibs, cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder) for making chocolate, plus any additional spices or optional ingredients such as nuts or dried fruit, in the proportions specified in the recipe, and when the recipe indicates. Presto pronto, and voilà! CocoTerra will then deliver a circular chocolate bar, ready to enjoy, whether it is cinnamon dark chocolate or simple white chocolate. In sum, CocoTerra will deliver both a delight for taste buds and a new experience under lockdown.

The app driving the CocoTerra countertop chocolate-making factory is patented in the US patent application US20200288741A1, titled Interface and application for designing a chocolate-making experience. The abstract of the invention is included below, together with Figures 2 and 4, extracted from the patent, respectively showing interactive graphical interfaces for managing recipe options and for creating a new custom recipe.

In particular, Figure 2 shows the interactive graphical interface 200 for a machine 115, the CocoTerra, which is “turned off” or “unconnected to your network”. The interface 200 also displays a list of two chocolate-making recipes “Simple white” and “Cinnamon dark chocolate 50”, out of eight stored recipes. A menu bar at the bottom of the interface 200 shows the ecommerce function SHOP, enabling users to buy (or sell) ingredients, such as cacao butter, cacao nibs of various origins, milk powder, decorations, inclusions and flavorings (e.g.; ground nuts, spices, dried fruits, oils and concentrates). In another embodiment of the invention, the ecommerce function SHOP automatically fills a cart with all the ingredients needed for a particular recipe. The menu bar at the bottom of the interface 200 also includes an elearning function EXPLORE, allowing users to access learning modules about chocolate, such as: The cacao farms of Guinea, The origins of chocolate or The health benefits of chocolate. The MACHINE function at the bottom of the interface 200 enables users to set some of the machine parameters, such as UPDATES on machine status and the chocolate-making process, or PREFERENCES, such as the language of the interface or measurement units (e.g.; oz or gr) for the recipes. Finally, the RECIPES function provides access to stored recipes, and/or databases of recipes for making chocolate, for this particular embodiment of the invention. Indeed, as recited, the scope of the invention interface is unlimited to the CocoTerra chocolate making machine. Another type of machine could be driven, in a similar way, by an interface like the one shown, using different recipes, ingredients and processes, as well as different ecommerce, elearning and machine setting functions.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary interactive graphical interface 400 for creating a custom or guided recipe.The four main ingredients of chocolate are listed, with an ADD INGREDIENT function. Each of the ingredients might be edited for quantity, or the user might instead select the GUIDE ME function at the bottom of the interface. The GUIDE ME function then coaches the user through the process of customizing a recipe. Coaching includes, for example, determining whether the recipe is for making milk, dark or white chocolate, and for each chocolate category: “How creamy? How sweet? How milky?” the desired, circular, chocolate bar output.

Provided herein are exemplary embodiments including a computing device comprising a processor, a memory and a display, the computing device being configured to dynamically display a specific, structured interactive graphical user interface paired with a prescribed functionality directly related to the interactive graphical user interface's structure, the specific structured interactive graphical user interface configured to receive input information including an entry of a desired type of food to be prepared, and a desired characteristic of the food, the computing device processor automatically generating a food preparation parameter based on the received input information, and the computing device processor automatically generating a custom recipe for preparation of the food. Additionally, the specific structured interactive graphical user interface may be configured to receive an entry to modify the food preparation parameter or the custom recipe. [Abstract US20200288741A1]

Reference

CocoTerra (company website) https://www.cocoterra.com/

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Speech acts - The Hill We Climb - Amanda Gorman

On this Twentieth Day of January, at noon (EST), the 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., was vested with Executive Power, after he took the 35-word Oath of Office, extracted from Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution, reciting after Chief Justice Roberts :

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. (National Archives, US Constitution, Sept 17, 1787)

On this memorable day, the Nation’s Youth Poet Laureate, 22-year old Amanda Gorman, was invited to compose a poem for the occasion. The YouTube video below captured the stunning words and impressive rendition of her poem, titled The hill we climb (Gorman, 2021).

References

Gorman, A. (Sept 21, 2021) The Hill We Climb. New York, NY: Penguin/Random House. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688816/the-hill-we-climb-by-amanda-gorman/9780593465066/

Gorman, A. (Jan 20, 2021) The hill we climb (Transcription). https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/amanda-gorman-inauguration-poem-transcript-the-hill-we-climb

National Archives. The Constitution of the United States: A transcription. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

COVID-19 National Memorial Day

On January 19, 2021 -- Approximately 400,000 COVID-19 victims in the US alone (JHU), two million worldwide (WHO). Below, an aerial photograph of the Washington DC Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where 400 lights were lit, at dusk, to honor the victims of SARS-CoV-2, on the day before the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States.

To heal we must remember. - Joe Biden, Jan. 19, 2021.

References

JHU - John Hopkins University - Coronavirus Ressource Center. https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map

WHO - World Health Organization - COVID 19 Dashboard. https://covid19.who.int/

Monday, January 18, 2021

Oh, patents! @ CES 2021 – YSL’s smart lipstick powered by L’Oréal Perso

Yves Saint Laurent’s (YSL) Rouge sur mesure powered by Perso, L’Oréal’s dispensing system, was one of the highlights of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2021). A trade show held yearly, since 1998 in Las Vegas, that usually attracts thousands of people. No less a hit in this pandemic year, CES 2021 went virtual. Advertised as “a no in-person attendance event", the event still showcased some dazzling technology, while offering a virtual podium to some of the leading industry officials (Goode, 2020).

YSL’s Rouge sur mesure powered by Perso is smart lipstick, dispensed by a Bluetooth®-connected device that custom-blends three different liquid lipstick cartridges to your exact specification via an app. Indeed, the app allows you to select a shade on a color wheel. Alternatively, the app enables you to match the color of your outfit, using a dropper tool, or to obtain expert recommendations, based on the specifics of your facial features. The mixture extrudes to the top of the device, for immediate application from a small shallow receptacle. The top of the device also doubles as a lip brush holder and cap, which twists off, letting you take with you, for touch-ups or re-application, the day’s custom-color shade that you have designed. At the end of the day, begone drawers full of once-used, or once-tried, lipsticks! You can have any shade that you design, in very small quantities, on any given day of the year.

Perhaps best of all, the L’Oréal Perso, short for “personal”, is a patented invention, masterminded by a team of researchers at L'Oréal's own smart cosmetics Technology Incubator. The Perso device invention, powering custom-color lipstick that you can personally blend and design every day, is recited in the 177-page, US utility, patent, US2020315319A1, titled System for dispensing a cosmetic product. An invention with a scope unlimited to lipstick, since liquid foundation, skincare or sun-protection products, even perfume, might also be blended, and customized, via a L’Oréal Perso dispensing device, together with Bluetooth®-connected app. In fact, the foundation, skincare and lipstick prototypes of the L'Oréal Perso were all three unveiled at CES 2020. Whereas this year, a ready-for-market YSL Rouge sur measure powered by Perso (lipstick-only) product was showcased. (The fashion designer brand, YSL, is L'Oréal-owned.)

The patent recites a blender device, suited to work with dense particles, for the purposes of designing compositions that might enhance or conceal the appearance of skin, particularly facial appearance. Specifically, the device is designed to address two issues: 1> the issue of variability in skin tone, which not only differs from one person to another, but also from one area of the skin to another, and 2> the issue of suitability, whether for contrasting or matching a particular complexion, when seeking to enhance the appearance of skin, using make-up on eyelids, lips and cheeks. In response to this twofold problematic situation, users might buy a lot of different products, which is costly. Users might test different products in-store, which is not always satisfactory, since the test occurs in a single location, under specific lighting and clothing conditions. Or, users might create their own products, which is not always practical in terms of design speed, replicability of the composition, or reliability of the design conditions.

Consequently, the invention explores uncharted territory, offering to support the design of individual compositions, in view of addressing all the aforementioned identified issues of skin variability, suitability, and test driving of products found in retail, while also resolving the issue of production speed, replicability of custom compositions and reliability of the design conditions. Finally, the invention also addresses the issue of quantity, since the prior art of custom design usually produces no less than 100 gr (approx. 4 oz) of the custom product, whereas individual users often need no more than 10 mg (0.04 oz) of a product to touch up, or apply on, a small area of skin.

To support customization of cosmetic compositions, the patent recites the chemical, mechanical and electronic components of the system. Chemical aspects of the invention comprise, for example, research-driven issues of formulation, such as choice of materials, quantities, particle size, combination and processes. Mechanical aspects of the invention comprise, for example, the dispensing means under user control, designed to pressurize the compositions placed in separate compartments, using volumetric metering devices, motors, and endless screws, driving pistons in each compartment. Electronic means of the invention comprise, for example, a user-controlled interface, positioned on the dispensing device, or via an app, connected to the device with Bluetooth® link. An interface designed to drive the mechanical aspects of dispensing a product, occurring in one of two modes: single dose or continuous.

The abstract of the invention is included below, together with Figure 4, extracted from the patent, depicting an exploded view of the Perso dispensing device. An image of the marketed YSL Rouge sur mesure powered by Perso, is also included. The image of the marketed device is from the underside, with the liquid lipstick cartridges showing.

The patent Figure 4 depicts an exploded view of the dispensing system 10, comprising the cartridges 30, a locking ring 43, sleeve 41 and support piece 40, serving to secure the cartridges 30 inside the housing of the dispensing system 10, so that they do not move once inserted. The battery cells 89 are also indexed in continuation of the motors 70. Inside the body 31 of the cartridges 30, a piston 32 (hidden from view) can move on the longitudinal axis of the cartridge 30, in view of reducing the volume of a reservoir 33, containing a base product for extrusion, via a rod 34, to a nozzle 37 (hidden), open to the outside, via a dispensing orifice 53 on top of the device, hidden, in a view from below.

The invention relates to a system (10) for dispensing a product, comprising a dispenser that can house at least two cartridges, each of which includes a reservoir containing a base product, a first base product comprising at least 0.1 wt.-% particles having a density differential relative to the medium containing same, preferably of at least 0.5 g/cm3, in particular particles having a density greater than or equal to 2 g/cm3, and a thickening agent. The dispenser allows at least two base products to be dispensed in adjustable proportions, the viscosity of the first base product being preferably greater than 2 Pa·s and more preferably greater than or equal to 4 Pa·s. [Abstract S2020315319A1]

References

Carman, A. ( Jan 11, 2021) YSL’s lipstick pod gadget will create whatever shade you want. https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/11/22218777/ysl-beaute-rouge-sur-mesure-perso-ces-gadget-2021

CES 2021 https://digital.ces.tech/home

Goode, L. (Jan 15, 2021) Virtual CES was as surreal as we all suspected it would be. https://www.wired.com/story/virtual-ces-2021-was-strange/

Mitroff, S. (Jan.12, 2021) CES 2021: Custom mix your own lipstick with this gadget. https://www.cnet.com/health/ces-2021-custom-mix-your-own-lipstick-with-this-gadget/

L'Oréal https://www.lorealparisusa.com/

L'Oréal (Staff) YSL Rouge sur measure: A beauty tech powered by Perso. https://www.loreal.com/en/articles/science-and-technology/2021/01/08/17/37/ysl-perso/

L’Oréal (Staff) (Jan. 5, 2020) L'Oréal takes another step into beauty tech at CES 2020 with introduction of Perso: A first-of-its-kind, 3-in-1 device for personalized at-home skincare and cosmetics. https://tinyurl.com/yy4nwpj s

L'Oréal Technology Incubator https://www.lorealtechincubator.com/

Friday, January 8, 2021

Oh, patents! Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS)

Copyright Françoise Herrmann

The fact that the COVID 19 pandemic put a law-enforced damper on all forms of celebration, hardly stopped the march of amazing inventions. Whether the canceled celebrations were individual (for weddings and graduations), or collective (for Beethoven’s 200th anniversary and the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage to America), some awe-inspiring inventions still came together, in a unique spirit of collaboration

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) was one such awesome, large scale, maritime project, arising in a partnership between Promare (a British marine-research, non-profit, organization), IBM Corporation, the Universities of Plymouth and Birmingham in the UK, together with a consortium of global partners, including shipbuilders, submarine designers, software engineers, AI experts, robotics engineers, oceanographers and university researchers stationed, on land, around the world. Bringing together hundreds of IBM-patented technologies, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project largely unfolded away from the limelight, even if such a grand project was intended to deeply, sustainably, and durably, transform ocean science (IBM News Room (1)). A science that includes such domains as: sea-level mapping, ocean microplastics analysis, marine mammal monitoring, marine overexploitation tracking, maritime cybersecurity, and climate change research. Not to mention, the potential for eventually increasing the fleet of autonomous ships. More autonomous ships that could, for example, respond to, and prevent, the plight of hundreds of boat people, perishing at sea, in the Mediterranean. Alternatively, more autonomous ships that could expand maritime trade in unprecedented ways, driving down the costs of building vessels, equipped for much safer sea navigation in turbulent waters.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) is a robotic trimaran vessel with a fully autonomous navigation system. Indeed, the MAS was designed to sail the rough seas of the Atlantic ocean without a captain, without a crew, and without fossil fuel, powered 100% by solar and wind energy (IBM Industries, 2020).

In the Youtube video below, titled Entering the mind of the Mayflower, the AI skipper voiceover is heard, steering the ship’s direction across the sea.

The MAS was officially launched on September 16th 2020, in the Atlantic Ocean (IBM staff, 2020). After six months of testing at sea, the ship’s maiden, transatlantic voyage, scheduled to depart from Plymouth UK, to Plymouth, MA (in the US), on April 19th 2021, will retrace the historic journey of the 17th-century Mayflower. A historic journey, which set sail on September 16th 1620, bringing one hundred settlers, some fleeing religious persecution, others seeking adventure, from the UK, to the new world colonies of the Americas.

Four hundred years later, the MAS quietly commemorated the Mayflower's journey in 1620, putting to test some of the most sophisticated IBM AI and edge computing technologies for autonomous navigation, in the extreme environment of the Atlantic Ocean (IBM Newroom (2)). A novel form of navigation, befitting a historic journey, which will evidently also be paving the way for the next 400 years of seafaring, using state of the art AI, shipbuilding, and electronics (IBM Industries, 2020).

Without a crew, and consequently no need for sleeping quarters, food storage or other amenities, all of the interior space of the ship is dedicated to scientific experiments. The ship is equipped with research pods, designed by the University of Plymouth (UK) to collect data on marine life and the health of the Atlantic (Cardwell, 2020). Otherwise, The University of Birmingham (UK), developed both a commemorative VR reconstruction of the original Mayflower, and an AR (Augmented Reality) platform for complex VR navigational animation sequences, in collaboration with project partners, such as MSubs, a company that worked on the design and construction of the MAS, in Plymouth, UK.

In 2021, at the Computer Electronics Show (CES), happening online this year, on Jan 11-14, the IBM-Promare Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) project will also be competing for a Best of Innovation Award, in the category of Vehicle Intelligence and Transportation.

Stay tuned at mas400.com for when the MAS sets out on its first autonomous transatlantic journey to the US, on April 19th, 2021!

References

Cardwell, D. (2020) Feature Story: Mayflower Captains 400 years apart (1620-2020). https://newsroom.ibm.com/Mayflower-Captains-400-Years-Apart

CES 2021 https://digital.ces.tech/home

IBM Industries (December 2020) – The Unchartered: Autonomous ship project (8-part docuseries) https://www.ibm.com/industries/federal/autonomous-ship

IBM Newsroom (1) –The Mayflower autonomous ship. https://newsroom.ibm.com/then-and-now

IBM Newsroom (2) -Sea Trials begin for Mayflower Autonomous Ship's AI-Captain.

https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-03-05-Sea-Trials-Begin-for-Mayflower-Autonomous-Ships-AI-Captain

IBM Staff (Sept. 15, 2020) Mayflower Autonomous ship launches. https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-09-15-Mayflower-Autonomous-Ship-Launches

Mayflower Autonomous Ship https://mas400.com/

MSubs https://www.msubs.com/

ProMare http://www.promare.org/

University of Plymouth (UK) - An unmanned voyage in the wake of the Mayflower.

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/home-pages/features/the-mayflower-autonomous-ship#

University of Birmingham (UK) - VR experts create virtual boarding for Mayflower 400th anniversary.

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2020/09/virtual-mayflower-400.aspx