Sailing Robot or SailBot! Gloucester Harbor Today by the Greasy Pole!

Building on the success of previous SailBot regattas, SailBot 2013 is being held in Gloucester, Ma Harbor,

 from June 9-13, 2013

The competition is open to the 1-meter, 2-meter SailBot Class, and an Open Class (which are boats up to 4 meters in length).

Here are a couple of photos from today off the Greasy Pole and Pavillion Beach

For More information about Sailbots:http://sailbot.org

Watch the Sailing Robots - SailBot 2013 International Robotic Sailing Regatta being held in Gloucester, MA June 10-13

Sailbot 2013

MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2013, 10:00 AM THROUGH THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013

REGISTRATION : NO COST TO WATCH!

AUDIENCE: SAILORS, ENGINEERS, GEEKS, SCIENTISTS, MODERN DAY MARINERS

The SailBot 2013 International Robotic Sailing Regatta is a robotic sailing competition historically held in North America in which teams of university and college students compete. This year’s event takes place in Gloucester harbor! The goal is to create an unmanned sailboat that navigates through a variety of challenges with limited, if any, human control. Students are able to use this friendly competition between schools to apply their engineering knowledge in a multi-disciplinary task that requires mechanical, electrical, and software skill to deal with this highly variable environment. Teams are headquartered at Maritime Gloucester and races will occur off Pavillion Beach in the outer harbor. Project presentations will take place at Endicott College’s Gloucester campus.

Monday, 10 June 2013

9:00 – 2:00 pm: Navigation Accuracy

3:00 pm: Fleet Race 1 for 2-meter boats

4:30 pm: Fleet Race 1 for 1-meter boats

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

9:00 – 2:00 pm: Stationkeeping

3:00 pm: Fleet Race II for 1-meter boats

4:30 pm: Fleet Race II for 2-meter boats

Wednesday 12 June 2013

9:00 am: Chase Race for 1-meter boats

1:00 pm: Long Distance Race start for 1-meter boats

4:30 pm: Long Distance Race start for 2-meter boats

A Good Place to Watch Event Gloucester maritime Center http://gloucestermaritimecenter.org/visit/event.php?s=2013-06-10-sailbot-2013

Sailbot Regatta Scheduled June 2013 Gloucester, Ma

Video of Olin College "Sailbot" sailing in Boston Harbor

Ocean Alliance, Olin College, and The City of Gloucester, Ma are teaming up this June 9-13, 2013 to pull together the 7th International Robotic Sailing Competition in Gloucester Harbor. We got a peak at the technology during the 2nd Annual Maritime Summit at Cruiseport Gloucester on Feb. 7, 2013

Ocean Alliance "Sailbot" exhibited at
2nd Annual Maritime Summit Gloucester Ma Feb 7, 2013

Ocean Alliance, Olin College, and The City of Gloucester, Ma are teaming up this June 9-13, 2013 to pull together the 7th International Robotic Sailing Competition in Gloucester Harbor. We got a peak at the technology during the 2nd Annual Maritime Summit at Cruiseport Gloucester.

The Robotic "Sailbot" is breathing new life into the ancient art of sailing. This technology blends the tradition of sailing with cutting edge robotic technology. The idea is to try and imagine a world where robotic sailboats freed of petrochemicals and the labor intensity of classic sailboats, cruise the oceans using the power of the wind. Using engineering techniques such as path planning, obstacle avoidance, and optimized sail trim these "bots" are being put together my students and teams all over the world for this yearly competition. Last year the competition was in Ontario. Considering the history of sail and the birth of the classic Robinson schooner in Gloucester harbor, Gloucester seems like a fitting place for the upcoming regatta.

All those interested in Robotics, Autonomy, Sailing, or Naval Architecture will have a great time meeting and exchanging ideas. from students, novices, veteran programmers, sailors, and teams.

The plan is there may be over 100 robotic sailbots racing individually and in teams around Gloucester Harbor!

Autonomous watercraft technologies hold the potential to further advancements in national security and marine biology. Currently, the military and private sectors utilize a hybrid mix of manually operated and autonomous watercraft, but the production of fully unmanned oceanic vehicles, such as Sailbots, is now on the brink of reality. The ability to use self-guided robotic watercraft for coastal surveillance missions as well as water pollution sourcing, oil spill recovery and tsunami warning eliminates the human risk typically associated with these tasks. Furthermore, the monitoring of marine animals will be greatly enhanced by this technology, allowing for passive observation of behaviors such as migration routes and pairing sites.

For more information and application:
www.sailbot.org
Sailbot2013@gmail.com

Ocean Alliance Robotics Display including the "Sailbot" at
City of Gloucester's
2nd Annual Maritime Summit 2013

Photos and Story by:

Melissa Abbott

Director Sales and Marketing

Seaport Grille

Gloucester Marine Terminal

Cruiseport Gloucester

978-852-0381 Cell

MelissaAbbott@CruiseportGloucester.com
CruiseportGloucester.com