Provided is a radar and communications enhanced sail for a sailboat, sail ship, or sail drone. The sail includes a first sail section comprising an active communication system, a second sail section comprising a passive communication system, or a combination thereof. The active communication system includes an antenna array (transceiver) and a software-defined radio (SDR), while the passive communication system comprises a reflective panel or sections and/or array of reflector panels or sections. The active system utilizes its SDR and transceiver to communicate back and forth with an onshore SDR and transceiver to provide information as necessary. The passive system receives a radar signal via the reflective material on the sail and reflects the signal back at the radar, which produces a radar cross section indicating that there is an object (in this case the sailboat) in the ocean.

A rig for a nautical craft includes a reference plane intended to coincide with a symmetry plane extending in longitudinal and vertical direction of the hull of the nautical craft; —at least one wing; —at least one rigid support capable of supporting the wing and transmitting a propulsive thrust to the hull of the nautical craft given by the aerodynamic lift generated by the wing when it takes wind. The wing includes a first and a second main face opposite to each other, the rigid support being capable of supporting the wing at least in a first operating configuration in which at least a main portion of the first or second face is facing a first side of the reference plane and in a second operating configuration in which the main portion is facing the opposite side of the reference plane; the rigid support includes a wing sliding path for switching from the first to the second operating position and vice versa.

The invention relates to a sailing rig system (SRS) for a sailing ship comprising one or more airfoil sails comprising one or more sail defining frames including at least three airfoil sail shape-defining edges and/or at least three airfoil sail shape-defining corners. The sail may be controllable, rotatable, pivotable, trimmable, reefable, stowable, slidable, windable, guidable, coaxial, weathervaning, wind/sun tracking, freestanding; it may provide cambering, reinforcing, sealing, boundary layer control, shielding means, sections and connections and it may be transparent. The frame may be a closable/deployable rotor sail frame. The frame may include rig components and the SRS may further comprise vertical/oblique/horizontal spars coupled with spar couplings. It may further comprise lateral, fore-and-aft, superposed sails, actuators, power generators, power sources, thermal management systems, defined rotor sails. It may provide sail twist. It may be coupled with a sailing ship with defined ship couplings. A sailing method is proposed.

A system for autonomous ocean data collection includes at least one sensor capable of collecting sensor data, at least one transmission device, and at least one computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the memory storing one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the at least one computing device to generate data for transmission based on the sensor data collected by the at least one sensor, and cause the at least one transmission device to transmit the data.

Maritime drone (1) comprising a hull (2) provided with an upper face (3) and a lower face (4), a centerboard (5) extending projecting from the lower face (4) of the hull (2) in order to give sailing/navigation stability to the maritime drone (1) and at least one wing sail (6). The wing sail (6) comprises a mast (7) connected to the hull (2) and a wing profile (8) connected to the mast (7) and it is suitable to intercept the wind in order to move the maritime drone (1). The centerboard (5) internally defines a containment volume (9) for the wing sail (6), which is movable between an operative position, in which it extends at least partially above the upper face (3) of the hull (2), and an inoperative position, in which it is at least partially housed in the containment volume (9) of the centerboard (5).

An autonomous sailing vessel may include a hull, a mast, a sail, and a sail release device. The mast may be mechanically coupled to the hull. The sail may be mechanically coupled to the mast. The sail release device may be operably coupled to the sail and may be configured to automatically release the sail to spill excess wind. Alternatively or additionally, the sail may include a fore sail element coupled to the mast and an aft sail element rotatably coupled at a fore of the aft sail element to an aft of the fore sail element. In this and other embodiments, the autonomous sailing vessel may further include a camber control assembly to automatically set a camber angle between the fore and aft sail elements.

An unmanned sailing vehicle comprising: a primary hull; a rigid wing rotationally coupled with said primary hull that freely rotates about a rotational axis of said rigid wing; a boom comprising a first end extending from a leading edge of said rigid wing and a second end extending from a trailing edge of said rigid wing, said first end of said boom comprising a counterweight configured to dynamically balance a wing system comprising said rigid wing, said boom, and said tail with respect to said rotational axis of said rigid wing; a tail coupled to said second end of said boom; a control surface element disposed on said tail and configured to aerodynamically control a wing angle of said rigid wing based on a position of said control surface element; and a controller configured to determine a control surface angle and generate a signal to position said control surface element.

An unmanned vehicle including a vehicle body, a propulsion system, a maneuvering system, a vehicle control system, a buoyancy control system, a sensor system, and at least one power supply is disclosed. The propulsion system, maneuvering system, vehicle control system, buoyancy control system, sensor system, and power supply are carried by the vehicle body. The sensor system includes a sensor adapted to detect an item of interest and provide an item of interest signal to the vehicle control system. The vehicle control system is adapted to receive the item of interest signal, identify an item of interest classification and provide a classification signal. The classification signal is determined by the item of interest classification and is utilized by the propulsion system, maneuvering system, vehicle control system, or buoyancy control system to avoid physical, electrical, acoustic, or thermal detection of the unmanned vehicle by the item of interest.

A system for autonomous ocean data collection includes at least one sensor capable of collecting sensor data, at least one transmission device, and at least one computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the memory storing one or more instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause the at least one computing device to generate data for transmission based on the sensor data collected by the at least one sensor, and cause the at least one transmission device to transmit the data.

The present invention relates to a rig (2) for a nautical means comprising: —a reference plane intended to coincide with a symmetry plane extending in longitudinal and vertical direction of the hull of the nautical means; —at least one wing; —at least one rigid support capable of supporting said wing and transmitting a propulsive thrust to the hull of the nautical means given by the aerodynamic lift generated by the wing when it takes wind; —the wing comprising a first and a second main face opposite to each other, —the rigid support being capable of supporting the wing at least in a first operating configuration in which at least a main portion of the first or second face is facing a first side of the reference plane and in a second operating configuration in which said main portion is facing the opposite side of the reference plane; —the rigid support comprising a wing sliding path for switching from the first to the second operating position and vice versa.