INBOUND
TA AROA IUP
ACT UATED FOI L TECHNOLOGY
Following on from our introduction of the world’s first intelligent foil – the iUp – a few issues back, we got in touch with Team Taaroa on the eve of its launch, to discuss the continued innovation of their AI system, and how you can program in the kind of session you want to have…
What inspired Taaroa to build Artificial Intelligence into a hydrofoil system? This is pretty exciting and pioneering technology... We believe hydrofoils are opening a new dimension in all kinds of water sports. However, there are limitations with existing hydrofoils: static geometry, instability, and a narrow range of use depending on conditions. With the iUP, we are replicating a simple concept that originates from aviation technology: embedded electronics and adaptable wing geometry. At lower speeds, the iUP’s Autopilot will lower the foil’s wing flaps to allow for a very low take-off speed; it then retracts the flaps as the foil accelerates, for better speed and overall performance. The Autopilot technology manages foiling’s natural instabilities, which will enable adoption of this technology in many different foiling disciplines, such as wing and kite foiling, but also in even more extreme conditions, such as big wave riding. That said, it is still human-powered A.I.! Users can interact with the Autopilot and change the navigation settings through a smartphone app. Additionally, the front wing geometry can be adjusted manually using the smartphone app before riding and can be locked in a specific position. ITNEBST OU ND ED
I N B O U N D
How tough is it developing a front wing that reacts differently to all different angles? Surely there are many, many more parameters to consider than with a static wing? This is really tough indeed! Our wing has been developed over hundreds of hours of designing, programming, and testing. The challenge is finding the balance between different conditions, foiling disciplines, and riders’ styles. We therefore designed the front wing’s behavior and response to be programmable by the riders themselves, so they can adapt the iUP’s pre-set behavior to their own feel and style. In addition, all riders can choose to share their navigation data with our team, in order to enhance the performance of the wing over time. The engineering and industrialization of the wing was also a significant challenge. Could you tell us more specifically about the engineering of the iUP’s front wing? The front section of the wing is attached to the fuselage in the same manner as a regular wing. In fact, we use the same mounting sys172 172