Development of Dynamic Model of Autonomous Sailboat for Simulation and Control

An autonomous sailboat is a robotic boat that utilizes wind energy as a booster with the ability to control its sails and steering without human intervention. An autonomous sailboat can be used for monitoring the ocean with realtime data collection and relatively easy and affordable installation. Therefore research on autonomous sailboats is important, especially for Indonesia, which has an extensive area of ocean. In this study, the autonomous boat uses wing sail with flap and rudder to produce propulsion. The simulation model of an autonomous sailboat dynamic with 4-DOF was created using MATLAB/Simulink. Simulations were carried out to determine the effect of flap and rudder deflection angles on boat dynamics. The objective of of this study is reveal the primary characteristics of boat sailboat dynamic such that the four direction combinations of the flap and rudder can steer the sailboat to the desired motion. Thus, the simulation model can be useful in formulating the in-progress control algorithm for the autonomous boat.