Electronics Department Project Lead – Metis Vela
Modular telemetry and performance monitoring system for high-performance sailing boats.
Overview
SailTrack is a modular performance tracking system developed by the Metis Sailing Team, a student project of the University of Padova focused on the design and construction of high-performance racing sailboats.
The system collects real-time data from multiple onboard sensors to support performance analysis, crew awareness, and remote monitoring.
- Stored in a database for post-race analysis
- Displayed to the crew through an onboard monitor
- Transmitted in real time to the coach boat or ground station
Modules
SailTrack Core
Central module for data aggregation.
SailTrack Radio
GPS and long-range communication.
SailTrack IMU
Orientation and acceleration measurements.
SailTrack Monitor
Onboard real-time data visualization.
SailTrack Strain
Force measurement on maneuvers.
SailTrack Wind
Wind direction and speed acquisition.
SailTrack Ground
Ground station for remote monitoring.
System Architecture
The system is built around a modular architecture. Each module communicates wirelessly over Wi-Fi using the MQTT publish-subscribe protocol.
Data Collection Pipeline
- MQTT for real-time messaging
- Telegraf for data ingestion
- InfluxDB for time-series storage
- Grafana for dashboards and visualization
My Role
As Electronics Department Project Lead, I was responsible for the design and development of the onboard electronic infrastructure. My work focused on ensuring reliable communication, sensor integration, and seamless data acquisition for the SailTrack system.
- Coordinated the electronics team across multiple modules
- Designed custom circuits and embedded systems
- Developed data acquisition architectures
- Integrated hardware and software components
- Worked extensively on radio communication with LoRa and GPS modules
- Collaborated closely with other departments (mechanics, software, and sailing operations)