(La Porte County, IN) - A new generation of patrol vehicles has been employed in the waters of Lake Michigan.

The U.S. Coast Guard is now using autonomous sail drones to support their work in all the Great Lakes—primarily collecting weather data, tracking illicit activity, and patrolling maritime borders.

The 33-foot-long drones are powered by wind and solar and resemble sailboats. They’re equipped with radar, cameras, and collision-avoidance artificial intelligence and are monitored continuously by human operators who can take manual control if needed.

The drones will be used on the Great Lakes from May to October.