Every year, more than 60 students from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada come together to design and build a fully autonomous sailboat, a SailBot. But this year, the SailBot team is taking it a step further and building a fully autonomous Sailboat, named Ada, capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
The project started in 2013 and according to their website, Ada “packs an advanced electronics package, accurate sensors, and satellite communication systems into a carbon fibre hull”. All this ensures that Ada can survive whatever an international voyage throws at her.
Before her voyage, the SailBot team must test the electrical, software and mechanical systems. After, over 20 team members will be working with the Sailbot full-time to help make sure she is ready for her international voyage. This includes 4-5 testing days/week before driving Ada and a 10-person team across the Canada to St. John’s, Newfoundland for final testing in the Atlantic Ocean before launching to Ireland.
Octopus Autopilots is incredibly impressed with the innovation involved in a project like this and jumped at the opportunity to help sponsor a project that is designed to push the boundaries of autonomous marine navigation and sailing logic.
For more information on the UBC SailBot and the upcoming voyage visit their blog.