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Australia is deploying a fleet of uncrewed robot boats to patrol its waters and monitor weather and wildlife. They will also flag boats potentially transporting asylum seekers, a plan that has concerned human rights groups.

The 5-metre-long vessels, known as Bluebottles after an Australian jellyfish, look like miniature sailing yachts. They use a combination of wind, wave and solar power to maintain a steady 5-knot speed in all conditions.

Sydney-based Ocius Technology delivered the prototype in 2017 and Australia鈥檚 Department of Defence has now awarded an AU$5.5 million (拢3m) contract for further development. This includes four more Bluebottles to be delivered next year.

Ocius CEO Robert Dane says Bluebottles are ideal for extended maritime patrols. 鈥淭hey have no crew, no fuel, no stores. It鈥檚 a robot that runs entirely on the power of the ocean,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 limited by bio fouling which is a limitation of many months at sea.鈥�

Onboard sensors include cameras, radar and devices to detect transponder signals from ships and aircraft. The uncrewed vessels can also carry instruments to measure temperature, pressure and other meteorological variables. They tow sonar, which can monitor wildlife as well as submarines.

The prototype Bluebottle, known as Bob, recently carried out its first unassisted journey, sailing around 200 kilometres from Botany Bay in Sydney to Ulladulla Harbour in New South Wales. Bluebottles have now been authorised by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to operate in Australian waters without a crewed escort. They have automatic collision avoidance and require only occasional supervision by a human operator.

鈥淭hey are intelligent robots so if they lose comms for a while they happily continue their mission,鈥� says Dane.

The defence mission will include patrolling Australia鈥檚 exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from its shore, for boats transporting asylum seekers in the Indian Ocean.

Dane points out that Australia has 11 per cent of the world鈥檚 coastline and only 0.3 per cent of its population. Crewed ships, typically costing tens of millions each, aren鈥檛 a practical solution for monitoring this area, he says.

If a Bluebottle detects a vessel that may not have permission to be within the EEZ it will be sent in for a closer look by a human operator. If the operator deems the boat suspicious, a crewed Royal Australian Navy vessel will be dispatched to intercept it.

Australia has been previously criticised for forcibly turning back boats of asylum seekers and there are concerns new technology might exacerbate this.

鈥淯sing drone boats to deter or prevent women, men and children from seeking safety from persecution would be wholly wrong because the purpose is both illegitimate and harmful,鈥� says Steve Valdez-Symonds at Amnesty International UK.

鈥淭he Australian Defence Force acquires, deploys and operates all systems 鈥� now and into the future 鈥� in accordance with Australia鈥檚 international and domestic legal obligations, including international humanitarian law,鈥� says an ADF spokesperson.