SailVane

LOW-COST AUTONOMOUS SAILBOAT FOR OCEANIC RESEARCH

m. eNG pROJECT | SPRING 2021

The Concept:

Autonomous ocean drones are large and expensive because they are power-hungry. Power-hungry drones require large solar panels (multiple square meters) or on-board generators, which make them large and heavy. Large, heavy boats need large motors, large batteries, which make them more power-hungry! The result is a capable, but expensive robot, a piece of capital equipment.

We went in the opposite direction. Using a sail arrangement which is directionally stable relative to the wind, our boat, SailVane, only needs to turn on when it is changing course. The resultant <5% duty cycle drastically reduces power usage, meaning we can make SailVane small (2m) and inexpensive (<$2,000 apiece before sensor equipment).

My Work: Cutting Metal!

My M.Eng. project was working on the latest prototype, specifically preparing the hull and sail geartrain. I designed parts, developed the CAM toolpaths, and cut a bunch of parts in aluminum and stainless steel. It was a blast!

Later on, while working at Dynamic Locomotion, Inc., I wrote a winning NSF SBIR Phase 1 proposal to fund professional development of this concept.