Development of a Low-Budget Robotic Sailboat

Building a boat is the first of many steps in robotic sailing. In this paper, we describe the development of a low-budget robotic sailboat based on the MaxiMOOP. This includes a conceptual design for entering the Microtransat Challenge, a approach for constructing the hull out of styrofoam, the development of a balanced swing rig using low-priced materials only and the use of a reduced set of sensors for autonomic control in order to decrease energy consumption. Moreover, a short field test showing the overall performance of our prototype boat and its seaworthiness, regarding boat speed, course stability and energy consumption is presented.