Development of a Motion System for an Advanced Sailing Simulator

To train competitive sailing in a virtual setting, motion of the boat as well as haptic feedback of the sail lines is essential. When discussing virtual environments (VEs) the concept of presence is often used. In this study we develop a sailing simulator motion system to research what factors contribute to the participants’ sensation of presence when sailing in a VE. The developed simulator includes the development of a mainsheet force feedback system and a novel motion platform, connected to a high-quality graphics sailing simulation. In future research, the developed system will be used to study which sail training type can be performed in simulated environments, and if the system can be used as a valid testbed for perception-action experiments.