Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!sgiblab!sdd.hp.com!usc!howland.reston.ans.net!noc.near.net!ptltd.com!blackhole!sjm
From: sjm@yar.ptltd.com (Steve Morris)
Subject: Re: Unpersoned sailboat race
In-Reply-To: mantoj@marcus.its.rpi.edu's message of 20 Jan 1994 19:44:56 GMT
Message-ID: <SJM.94Jan21133333@yar.ptltd.com>
Sender: root@blackhole.ptltd.com (Operator)
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Organization: Phoenix Technologies Ltd.
References: <af.3068.33.0NAF6640@mecheng.fullfeed.com>
	<1994Jan20.030240.23427@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu> <2hmmvp$6ot@usenet.rpi.edu>
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 1994 18:33:32 GMT
Lines: 47


>	8 feet long ?????  A vessel that small would never make it across the
>atlantic.  I'm no salty old sailor, but I've been scared to death in mild
>storms on my father's 30 foot powerboat on the Hudson River.  The 
>mid-atlantic is worse than that on a good day.

Sure it can. Smaller is actually easier. Think of a cork. The problem with
a personed boat is preserving the life of the person. Persons need much life
support. It is hard to fit that in a small sturdy boat.

My Dad and I have been working on plans for such a boat for years.
The basics are easy. The tough problems come if you want to hit a specific spot
or want to report your position or want to do any of this stuff quickly.

The gulf stream does most of the work. Getting across is basically a three
step process of getting into the gulf stream, waiting until you are almost there,
and getting out and back to land. That's why people have been able to row it.

One can imagine a sailboat design that was practically solid with
a solid sail etc. with almost no moving parts. Using the wind as a direction
reference (think prevailing averages!) you only need two settings. And you only
need to switch once. The problem reduces to designing the switch to survive
the abuse and deciding when to switch. Since you only need to switch once
the switch could be spring loaded with a catch. Release the catch and the
spring does the work. It could merely move a weight to change the center of
gravity eliminating the need of external bearings. Minimalist designs are the
most likely to make it.

As is often the case sensors will be tough. And what do you sense? Do you watch
the sun? Do you listen to satelites? Do you send a signal and wait for a command
from remote intelligence? Do you listen for the BBC? Dou measure the temperature of
the water?

These are still tough problems but solvable. For sure this thing won't look
like any boat that you have ever seen but as I said we have different design
criteria.

By the way, what do stinkpotters know about boats anyway :-).


--
Steve Morris
<steve_morris@ptltd.com>
Phoenix Technologies LTD
38 Sidney Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 551-5042
