azimutschroefunits

The azimutschroefunits (ATU) is a hypothetical unit of measurement used to express the joint state of an object's azimuthal orientation and screw-based propulsion geometry in robotic marine systems. It is not part of the International System of Units and is not widely adopted in official standards.

The term blends prefixes from Dutch/Germanic roots and English: azimut (azimuth) + schroef (screw) + units. It is used mainly in theoretical discussions, simulations, or early-stage design tools where both heading and propeller geometry influence performance.

In typical usage, an azimutschroefunit is a dimensionless index defined as ATU = f(azimuth, screw_pitch, blade_efficiency) normalized to [0,1]. Azimuth is normalized from 0 to 360 degrees mapped to 0-1; screw parameters are scaled to 0-1; their product or weighted sum yields ATU. The exact mapping varies by study; the unit itself does not carry a fixed physical dimension.

Used in optimization algorithms and control schemes for autonomous surface or underwater vehicles, where orientation and propulsion geometry interact, ATUs may help in multi-objective optimization, path planning, and simulation dashboards. Because it is not standardized, researchers should specify their definition when using ATU.