ODYSSETRON—A Cybernautical Metamodel: The Robotic, Marine Circumnavigation of the Earth

The author describes ODYSSETRON, an on-going environmental project designed to unfold over a period of 10 years. The project focuses ultimately on developing a robot capable of marine circumnavigation of the earth. The paper presents extensive discussion of several issues and ideas in the work, including trans-national planetary cooperation; the synthesis of art, science and technology; robotics and artificial intelligence; and the nature of the designing process.

Phase I of this four-phase project, which included the launching of 100 free-floating modules in the San Francisco Bay waterways in 1980, is described in detail.