Sailboats have played an integral part in history and development of modern society. The scope of this project focuses on one particular aspect of the operation of this boat: the crew. The crew is the secondary boat operator sitting toward the front of the boat and the primary need for the crew is to simply shift his/her weight in the boat in order to keep the boat at the desired angle. By replicating this action with an autonomous device, the crew can be eliminated. By setting a desired heel angle on a control panel, a mass driven by a motor can be moved laterally along a track in order to adjust the heel angle accordingly. The goal of this project is to allow a sailor to safely operate a Flying Junior dinghy without a crew and be able to maintain full control of the boat.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Gonzalez, Dominic
• Rutledge, Steven Mize
• Miguel, Pedro John
• Brendlinger, Michael Eric

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-043014-175629

Advisor

• Stafford, Kenneth A.
• Michalson, William R.

Year

• 2014

Date created

• 2014-04-30

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Robotics Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright