In August 2013 a group of seven college students in Tiverton, Rhode Island, launched Scout —a solar-powered autonomous robotic boat — in an attempt to be the first to successfully complete an unmanned crossing of the Atlantic, transiting from Rhode Island to Spain.
Scout was lost only a few weeks into its voyage, but the now former students, who finished school and have jobs in the marine industry, plan to try again with an improved version named Scout II. They hope to conduct sea trials in June and launch the boat during the summer.
This video from TV station WPRI in Providence has more:
If you’re curious about other zero-handed boating projects, read this article that appeared in the January 2017 issue of Soundings.
