Scout is on its way to Spain! It is a twelve foot long autonomous robotic boat designed to cross the Atlantic Ocean, relying only on pre-programmed commands and information that it can collect about its environment through sensors. Built by a group of engineering students it looks like a bit like a surfboard with a sailboat keel covered with solar cells. It departed 21 days ago from Rhode Island and is now almost 700 miles closer to its destination.  Other autonomous robotic boat projects, such as Robotboat Mark VI, rely on sail propulsion. The designers chose solar power driving a propeller as the simplest solution.  To follow Scout on its slow but steady voyage across the Atlantic, click here.