As in a videogame Splashelec invents the joystick to control a real sailboat

Splashelec develops joysticks which are highly configurable so they can be used to drive any device. The first implementation has been… on sailboat.

The main goal has been to implement the joystick control system on any kind of sailing boat. Thanks to this assist system, sailing becomes accessible to people suffering for disabilities: children, women and men. Quadriplegic people are able to steer the boat.

Thanks to two joysticks sailors can take control over the entire boat: they manage sails and rudder only with the hands. It’s as fun and as easy as playing a video game.

“We’ve come with a system really flexible. You can configure it as much as you want to. You can for instance add one joystick with all the directions or you can add two or three joysticks to separate the different controls of the sailboat: sails and rudder. We can even remplace the joystck by some control buttons that are really easy to use. We can even add sensors to automatically control some elements of the boat.”

Joystick control system for sailing boat is available in two different versions.

• The “rudder” version: this system include all the components you need to easily steer the boat with only one joystick. The system is completely removable from the boat and can be easily disengage when sailing.
• The “take control of everything” version: with this version you get the control of the sails and the rudder. The FOC and the mainsail are configured to respond to commands from one or two joysticks. Both sails can then be controled independently or all together depending on the joysticks are configured. The rudder is also configured according to your preferences.

You can discover more on Splashelec official website.