Autopilot

An autopilot (or automatic pilot) is a self-steering device system used for automatic navigation. They come in varying degrees of complexity and sophistication although any autopilot should be able to maintain a vessel on a pre-set compass course. More advanced autopilots gather data from the ship’s instruments or connect to GPS receivers. The system will be able to tell the difference between the vessel’s ordered course and the actual course and will automatically adjust the rudder so that it moves to an angle that is proportional to the discrepancy.