zlacker

>>duck+(OP)
I really didn't grasp the size of that drone. It is not a little model boat, it is a ship. This video shows it being launched, and includes images of what it looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ-uYy9Ap8A

>>Joachi+Tg
That's a larger model, this is the earlier Saildrone Explorer mentioned in that video. The vessel they are launching is 72 feet long, this one is 23 feet. So not a model boat, but not large either.

>>ezzaf+Mh
Could somebody please TL;DR the wing design (of the big boat) for me? The one with the additional extra wing?

>>fho+vi
It's a self trimming wingsail. Its only purpose is to maintain the angle of attack of the main wing, much like how a horizontal stabilizer works on an airplane.

Personally I think it is something that is brilliant, and it is actually the primary feature that enables autonomous operation as a drone. There are no halyards or sheets, no ropes anywhere. All you have to do is maintain an angle of attack relative to the wind, and you have propulsion.

BTW, the founder holds the wind propulsion land speed record, and the wing design for this is an evolution of that design. When you're moving at 4 times the wind speed, no human can possibly keep up with the continuous trimming demands of a sail. This design does it perfectly, and at an overall reduction in total complexity.