Can AI-assisted unmanned vessels be Beijing’s answer to South China Sea patrols?

Wave-powered unmanned surface vessels (USV) could be used for maritime rights and law enforcement, researchers said, as Beijing faces heightened tensions in contested waters including the South China Sea.Writing in the latest issue of Naval and Merchant Ships, owned by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Chen Xin and Chen Ruimiao said the self-powered vessels could be “of great value” to the sustainable management of distant waters.By converting vertical wave motion into forward thrust using a submerged fin assembly attached below the boat, these small wave-powered autonomous vessels could be deployed long term in the far seas, they wrote.