Sailing forward: A review of contrasts and synergies between racing and robotic sailing
Published in Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science, 2026
尽管竞技帆船与机器人帆船遵循相同的物理规律，但两大社区长期相互隔离，逐渐形成了不同的设计哲学。本文回顾了竞技帆船从 16 世纪起源到当代“水翼革命”的演进脉络，同时梳理了帆船机器人的三阶段发展路径：从早期原型探索，到系统化工程化，再到以 Saildrone Surveyor 等为代表的军事化与规模化应用。
在层级化技术结构下，本文从四个关键维度系统对比两者：部件性能、整体建模、运动控制以及面向天气预报的航路规划。为弥合差异，作者提出独特的五指标框架，用于评估技术转移潜力、成熟度领先关系与关键障碍。通过将竞技帆船的顶尖创新（如 VPP 与 CFD 工作流）与机器人帆船的长航时自主需求对照，本文形成了首个旨在促进体育科学与海洋工程之间交叉渗透与技术外溢的系统性综述。
This research addresses the long-standing isolation between the racing and robotic sailing communities, which, despite sharing identical physical principles, have evolved distinct design philosophies. The paper traces the evolution of racing—from its 16th-century origins to the modern “foiling revolution”—alongside the three-stage development of sailing robots, from emergent prototypes to the militarization and upscaling of systems like the Saildrone Surveyor.
Utilizing a hierarchical technical structure, the review systematically contrasts these domains across four key dimensions: component performance, overall modeling, motion control, and weather-aware routing. To bridge the gap, the authors implement a unique five-metric framework to evaluate the potential for transfer, maturity leadership, and technical obstacles. By juxtaposing elite racing innovations (e.g., VPP and CFD workflows) with autonomous endurance requirements, this work constitutes the first comprehensive effort to foster cross-pollination and technology overflow between sports science and ocean engineering.
Recommended citation: Yang An, Jean-Baptiste RG Souppez, Zhikang Ge, Bo Peng, Mengwei Zhang, Gaofei Xu, and Zhengru Ren*. (2026). "Sailing forward: A review of contrasts and synergies between racing and robotic sailing." Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science.
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