FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MECHATRONICS (SKMM3252) 2015/2016(2)

Semi-Autonomous Sailboat Competition

Objective
To design a sailboat that is capable of sailing straight in a water tank, despites of
different wind directions. This project requires the students to design a basic sensor
and semi-autonomous boat sailing system, so that the sailboat is capable of sailing
straight in a water tank through a remote-control system. The sailboat should
intelligently adapt with different direction of wind and redirect the wind force for the
propulsion of boat.
Sailboat Specification
The length of the boat should not exceed 1m and the sailboat should adapt
intelligently to the wind coming from different directions. Intelligent adaptation of
sail to different direction of wind should be autonomous, and no human interaction
is allowed. The steering of sailboat, however, can be performed through a remote
control system to achieve straight sailing. To prevent sailboat from rolling over,
students are allowed to design the sailboat as monohull boat, multi-hull catamaran,
or trimaran. The use of hull appendages and keels are allowed to improve the
stability of the ship in wind.
Competition
Sailboat competition shall be held at a water tank with a dimension of
approximately 8m x 3m. During the competition, FOUR electric fans will be
stationed at the right and the left sides of the water tank, mimicking the winds
coming from FOUR different directions, extending from up-wind to the down-wind
directions (45 135 and 225 315, see Figure 1). The sail of the sailboat should
adapt intelligently to the winds coming from different directions to achieve most
effective propulsion. To sail up-wind, proper tacking approaches should be
strategized. Sailboat should be sailing straight from the Starting Line to the
Finishing Line, which is 5m away from the starting position. The steering of the boat
can be achieved by remote controlling the rudder position. During the competition,
no student is allowed to enter the 5m Racing Zone.
Power of Officials
The decisions of all officials regarding the rules and the conduct of the event shall
be final.

5m

Participant Position

5m Racing Zone

Figure 1: Water tank setup during the sailboat competition

Assessment
This report will contribute 40% of the total marks, and the distribution are listed as
follows:

Report 20%
Team working 10%
Competition 10%

Report Format
Every group will have to submit a final report for the project. The report must
consist of the following details:

Introduction and Literature Study (3%)

Design (5%)
Algorithm (5%)
Justification on Cost (5%)
Improvements and Conclusion (2%)

Weekly Report
Every group will have to submit a weekly progress report on:

Minutes of weekly meeting / workload distribution / discussion.

Team-working peer assessment form.