Thesis: AI Agents Learn to Sail – Real-World Navigation and Decision-Making

6 days ago

Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden Knightec Group Full time 400,000 - 600,000 per year

High Level Description
Traditional sailing requires years of experience to master the complex interplay between wind patterns, boat dynamics, and tactical decision-making. Recent advances in AI agents - systems that can reason, plan, and use tools - present an exciting opportunity to explore whether artificial intelligence can learn to sail through real-world interaction rather than pure simulation.

This master's thesis aims to explore how AI agents can learn real-world sailing through reasoning, planning, and tool use, rather than relying solely on simulations. Students will develop intelligent agents that control physical or simulated sailboats, gaining hands-on experience in robotics integration and adaptive AI.

Project Description
The project will involve developing AI agents that control physical or simulated remote-controlled sailboats equipped with sensors and computational hardware (e.g., Raspberry Pi). Students will design hierarchical agent architectures, connect them to real-world sensors and control surfaces, and implement robustness features to handle unpredictable outdoor conditions.

The research will focus on creating interpretable, reasoning-based agents that can explain their sailing strategies, adapt dynamically to changing wind and water dynamics, and transfer knowledge from simulation to real-world environments.


Who are we looking for?
We are looking for students who want to write a 30 credit MSc thesis. You should have:

  • Required: Programming experience (Python), basic understanding of AI/ML concepts, interest in both software and hardware integration
    • Nice-to-haves: Experience with robotics, control systems, LLM APIs, multi-agent systems, or outdoor/marine activities

Students should have studied computer science, AI/ML, robotics, or related fields where agent research is relevant. An interest in sailing is helpful but not required - the focus is on agent behaviour and real-world AI systems.

Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore how advanced AI agents can operate and learn in unpredictable real-world environments. By developing interpretable and adaptive sailing agents, students will contribute to research on robust AI systems that bridge the gap between simulation and reality.


An Exciting Journey with Knightec Group
Semcon and Knightec have joined forces as Knightec Group. Together, we are Northern Europe's leading strategic partner in product and digital service development. With a unique combination of cross-functional expertise and a holistic business understanding, we help our clients realize their strategies – from idea to complete solution.

Practical Information
This is a master thesis position, located at our office in Lindholmsallén 2, Gothenburg. Start date as agreed. 

Please submit your application as soon as possible, but no later than If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact Julia Hellberg. Note that due to GDPR, we only accept applications through our careers page.

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