Design Considerations for Sailing Robots Performing Long Term Autonomous Oceanography

Abstract

Over the last four years we have developed five sailing robots of various sizes with the intention of performing long term ocean monitoring. These have demonstrated that a sailing robot could potentially perform long term ocean monitoring. A number of sensor packages, sail designs and hull designs have been tested. Wing sails have been found to be particularly suitable for this application as they minimise potential points of failure. Work with biologically inspired control systems that are capable of adapting the robot's behaviour to its conditions and the demands of its mission is currently ongoing.