CNC yacht
From Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
Contents
Contacts
- Sergey Le-Zakharov
- Alexey Maistrov
- Alexey Red'kov
- Andrey Murachev
- Dmitry Elets
Project goals and objectives
Objective: Developing an automatic control system for a sailing yacht.
In order to achieve our goals, the following tasks need to be done:
- Construction and installation of steering and hoisting sails mechanisms on the yacht
- Equipping the yacht with onboard sensors (GPS, magnetic compass, wind sensor, accelerometer)
- Hardware development: a control module, based on the Arduino controller able to receive signals from the sensors and provide a feedback signal for a closed-loop control.
- Software development: a program tool that calculates an optimal route considering the information received from the sensors.
The project is developing by Technical Section of Yachting.
Completed Goals
Yacht "Nubble" (6.5 m), which is going to be equipped with an automatic control system, was purchased, renovated and launched on water. We developed a steering control system allowing to maintain a course. The work of the system was demonstrated at The XVII International Forum “Russian Industrialist” in LenExpo.
Current Goals
- Developing a simple algorithm allowing to tack downwind (Maistrov, Red’kov, Murachev)
- Choosing the best algorithm to control the tiller (Maistrov, Murachev, Red’kov)
- Developing various of filtering algorithms, e.g. "Kalman filter" (A. Murachev)
- Acquiring data from a magnetic compass, taking into account the yacht’s heeling effect (A. Maistrov)
- The second option is an Android app with a yacht remote control interface, a map, and a data monitor (A. Red’kov)
Solved problems
- Acquiring data from the GPS sensor and first versions of a path-tracing algorithm allowing to sail from point A to point B (A. Murachev)
- The first version of the Android app for the yacht remote control (A. Red’kov)
Press about us
Participation in competitions and exhibitions
- June 2013: a victory in UMNIK competition
- St.Petersburg International Innovation Forum “LenExpo”
- Competition of small-size shipbuilding projects (2nd prize)
- Exhibition "VOLGA Boat Show 2013"
Market demands
The yacht should be capable of:
- To follow the track that user drew with a finger
- Track memory and a cyclic sailing option
- Sonar function
- "Parktronic" with a proximity sensor and a camera (optional)
- Fail-safe autopilot automatically turning off at a speed over 20 km/h
- Cruise control up to 35 km/h
- GSM alarm system
- Wireless speakers for the iPhone
- Satellite tracking
