Why is it so difficult to develop a good autopilot system for a modern ocean racer?
Sailing is a complex sport and it takes many years of experience to become a good helmsman. Sailing is typically a skill. You have to know a lot of things to become a good helmsman but above all you have to feel the boat, the wind an the waves. Every boat is different, every wheather situation is different and there is a myriad of factors that have to be taken in to account to sail a boat optimally. Sailng cannot be learned from a book. Unlike a game like chess, where the optimal next move in principle can be calculated by a computer, in sailing there are no clear rules that define what the best thing to do next is. Therefore it is difficult to teach a computer (or any machine) to sail a boat optimally. Yet it is clear that, specifically for the single handed sailor, a good autopilot that really optimizes the speed of the boat would give a big advantage. A learning autopilot The solution is to make a learning autopilot that can constantly improve its performance and that can adapt itse
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- Why is it so difficult to develop a good autopilot system for a modern ocean racer?
- How difficult is it to develop good systems?
- How difficult is it to develop good systems?
