Instrumentation and Optimal Control of a Sailing Boat

This catalyst grant will be in collaboration with Dr. Emmanuel Witrant from France. In this collaboration, the objective of our collaborative project is to design feedback control methods for sailing adaptation according to information provided by different proxies and with the goal to minimize energy consumption. Two highly interconnected topics are going to be considered in the collaboration: 1) adaptation of the sail and rudder operation according to local wind and waves conditions. Sensing capabilities providing the wind direction, the deformation of sails, the tension in the rigging and the global dynamics of the ship (pitch, yaw and roll) can be considered as proxies to adapt the boat operation according to some optimization objectives; 2) autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) will be instrumented at Dalhousie University and launched in the ocean environment with intelligent robust and optimal control with respect to wave, current and wind in harsh marine environment. Simulation and real-world in-water trials of a prototype will be carried out with iterative design and testing, to enhance the robustness, optimality, and reliability of the overall autonomous sailing module. Experimental test will be carried out in Halifax Harbor. The collaboration will result in several joint publications, graduate student training and further opportunity for funding applications to continue the project for other types of ships. This will also strengthen the ocean related research which is one of the prioritized areas at Dalhousie University. The proposed work addresses one of the recognized major challenges and opportunities facing control researchers. The results of the proposed research will enable the use of wind energy and sail-assisted cargo ships which can be a potential solution for sustainable and efficient shipping. This raises the interest of the industrial market in Canada and worldwide. The proposed research will strength Canada's leading roles in ocean studies and responses to climate change.