View source for Automated transport systems/Automated, zero-emissions ships

90% of international trade is moved by ship<sup>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping]</sup>, so automated shipping is a huge key to an automated infrastructure.

Luckily ships, like trains, are comparatively easy to automate, as there are not many things to bump into out at sea, and they do not have to deal with the high-speed manoeuvering that has challenged designers of autonomous helicopters and cars. There are plenty of small unmanned military boats (USVs for 'unmanned surface vehicles' in military-speak) in operation already, though this technology has not been much applied outside of the military nor on larger boats.  With GPS, it is very easy for a ship to be programmed to go from anywhere to anywhere else. Loading and unloading cargo ships has become more and more automated since the 1950s and it is now possible to get containers off ships and into trucks without any human labour.

Ships are slow compared to other means of transport, but for most purposes, high-speed transport is not particularly important.

There is an abundance of clean energy available at sea. The large surface area of a ship provides ample space for sails and solar panels, and wave power can also be harnessed.
[[Image:Solarsailor.jpg|center|thumb|300px|A design integrating sail power and photovoltaic solar cells]]

Sail-power is making a comeback in commercial shipping. It makes commercial sense to avail of a free source of energy and sails can now be computer-controlled to automatically turn to the angle that best catches the wind.

[[Image:Skysail.jpg|right|200px]]''SkySails'' are a bit like kitesurfing; a kite-like sail floats above the ship on cables and provides extra pull to move the ship forward. Because the sail is at a higher altitude, it is able to catch the faster winds that exist higher in the air. SkySails provide 10-35% of the energy a ship needs<sup>[http://www.skysails.info/index.php?id=472&L=2]</sup> and run completely autonomously, adjusting themselves to the changing winds.

An autonomous, clean cargo ship is technically feasible with currently existing technology. As it would have no fuel costs or crew costs, even a higher initial construction cost than normal cargo ships would be justified. Mass-producing such ships would mean that all the world's resources would be able to be transported anywhere for free. It would create a true [[Post-scarcity|abundance]] of transport.<br>
However, there is no fully worked-out design for such a ship yet. Time for an open-source design project, perhaps?