Autonomous waypoint tracking of kayak boat using state-variable feedback control

A state-variable feedback control is designed and implemented for a kayak boat driven by a podded propulsion to track specified way points for an environmental monitoring task. This controller is first designed and tested with a kayak boat dynamics model before applying to a 3.85-meter long kayak boat. For waypoint tracking of the kayak dynamics model, two types of observer estimators: full-order and reduced-order observers are employed in the state-variable feedback controller. Using both observers, the kayak can follow specified way points in the presence of the external sensor noise as well as variation of kayak hydrodynamic parameters. Two experimental tests are set up so that waypoints form a circular pattern and a grid pattern. Experimental test results with the real kayak show that the tracking accuracy of the real kayak is less than that of the kayak dynamics simulation because of unknown hydrodynamics parameters of the actual kayak and external disturbances, such as wind and wave.