Science & Technology
Boaty McBoatface collects 'unprecedented data'
By
T.K. RandallJune 29, 2017 ·
5 comments
Boaty has been exploring the depths of the Orkney Passage. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 Liam Quinn
The world's most famous unmanned submersible has made a triumphant return from its maiden voyage.
Perhaps the best known example of why asking the general public to name anything at all is a bad idea, the small yellow robot submarine acquired its peculiar name after Internet users were given the chance to vote for what to call the Natural Environment Research Council's new research vessel.
While the ship itself eventually ended up being named RRS Sir David Attenborough, its robotic submarine was assigned the unusual moniker to satisfy the result of the public vote.
Now scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have revealed that Boaty has successfully returned from its inaugural voyage to the depths of the Orkney Passage in the Antarctic Peninsula and has brought with it a treasure trove of new data.
"We have been able to collect massive amounts of data that we have never been able to capture before due to the way Boaty is able to move underwater," lead scientist Alberto Naveira Garabato stated on Wednesday.
"Up until now we have only been able to take measurements from a fixed point, but now, we are able to obtain a much more detailed picture of what is happening in this very important underwater landscape. The challenge for us now, is to analyse it all."
Source:
NPR.org |
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