Matlab for Yacht Racing

The America's Cup is the world's premier yacht-racing contest and boasts
the oldest trophy in sporting history. Previous years' entries have shown
that, by trading-off one parameter against another, a minuscule increase
in speed can mean the difference between winning or losing a race.

The design team of GBR Challenge, the company behind the British entry
to the 2007 America's Cup, used Matlab to help maximise the performance
of the yacht. The real-time data analysis using Matlab during training runs
enables the crew to make instant decisions on mast and rig set-up.

During training, data is taken from optical-fibre strain gauges on the boat,
as well as sensors measuring boat speed, wind speed and direction. (Fibre
optics change refractive index when put under strain, so the strain can be
measured via the change in wavelength of the light transmitted.) The data
is read via a wireless LAN connection into data files, which can then be
quickly and easily manipulated in Matlab on a support boat.