Abstract
Robotic sailing boats represent a rapidly emerging technology for various tasks on lakes and oceans. In this paper we give an overview about the main building blocks of a robotic sailing boat for controlling the rudder and the sails. History of robotic sailing includes developments in mechanical, electronic, and intelligent self-steering systems as well as automatic sail control. Furthermore advantages and disadvantages of rigid wing sails in comparison to traditional fabric sails are illuminated. Early examples of robotic sailing boats and recent developments, stimulated by robotic sailing competitions such as Microtransat Challenge, SailBot and World Robotic Sailing Championships are presented. We conclude with a brief outlook on potential applications in the field of robotic sailing.
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Stelzer, R., Jafarmadar, K. (2011). History and Recent Developments in Robotic Sailing. In: Schlaefer, A., Blaurock, O. (eds) Robotic Sailing. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22836-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22836-0_1
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