SAS GOES DIGITAL

This paper is intended to deal with a system able to augment the seakeeping ability and thus the comfort of an advanced marine vehicle, that is, a hydrofoil. Design of a new controller, called tentatively SAS MK2, the preprototype of which is presently on the test bench for static and compatibility test has taken into consideration all the constraints of the environment in which it has to operate. Although no final test has been carried out at this stage, simulation work shows that the new controller will improve the seakeeping capability of the hydrofoil, and in turn, will improve the passenger comfort. The trend in going digital is not dictated by purely research needs, but instead responds to a need of having a more intelligent controller.