Autonomous pilot project unlocks sustainable shipping solutions

A groundbreaking project out of Corktown's Newlab tech hub used a self-driving boat to show how ports and shipping companies around the world can maximize their cargo loads.

The big picture: Heavier loads help decarbonize the maritime industry by moving more goods on fewer ships.

• Shipping accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Zoom in: Mythos AI, a Florida-based company, came to Newlab in Detroit last fall with an idea to make shipping more efficient using its 26-foot-long autonomous boat named Archie.

• Through its partnership with the Port of Monroe — the state's only port on Lake Erie — Newlab provided Mythos AI with a real-world testing environment for Archie.

State of play: Ports across the country struggle with outdated mapping information about the depths of their waterways, Mythos AI CEO Geoff Douglass tells Axios Detroit.

• Shipping companies light-load their ships due to such blind spots.
• Accurate and timely depth data also helps prevent catastrophes such as the 767-foot-long cargo ship that ran aground near Muskegon last year .

What they did: During last fall's eight-week pilot, Mythos AI deployed Archie at the Port of Monroe to survey water depth using sonar technologies every time a ship entered and left the port.

• The underwater mapping information then was entered into a platform that can be shared with shipping companies and others in the maritime industry.

What they're saying: Port of Monroe director Paul LaMarre said Archie produced more timely data than he typically gets from the federal government, which sends depth information once or twice a year.

• "The software and technology that they are employing is providing the highest level of detail that I have seen in survey work in my career," LaMarre tells Axios.
• "The ultimate success story would be a significant investment and acquisition of this technology by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration," LaMarre says.

Zoom out: Mythos AI is one of 106 member companies at Newlab in Detroit, up from 25 startups when Newlab opened last year at the Book Depository building next to Michigan Central Station.

• The pilot at the Port of Monroe is an example of how Newlab and Michigan Central's innovation campus is trying to solve real-world mobility challenges.

What's next: Mythos AI is talking with the state, other ports and shipping companies about accessing the sea-depth data that Archie collects, Douglass says.