
Ben Ainslie is hoping his team's wide-ranging use of non-sailing technology will help Land Rover BAR become Britain's first America's Cup champion in 2017.

Since forming the team in 2014, Ainslie has brought in experts from a range of industries to help design his futuristic "flying boat."

After using a 45-foot catamaran in the team's victorious World Series campaign, the race is now on to launch the bigger AC50 model for the racing in Bermuda.

Here, engineers use data points to measure performance.

The boat's computer-controlled wing sail is roughly the same size as the wing of a Boeing 737 airliner.

Ainslie's crew have also used wind-tunnel testing to simulate race conditions.

Boat captain Jo Lees works on the testing vessels at the Land Rover BAR team's Portsmouth workshop, as part of its artificial intelligence program.

Data from thousands of sensors is used to refine and hone every part of the British boat ahead of the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda.

Andrew McLean, sailor and system engineer lead, works on one of the three testing boats at the workshop.

Lees and engineer Ian Lovering discuss findings from the artificial intelligence process.

The hi-tech approach gave Ben Ainslie's team an edge in the 2015-16 America's Cup World Series.

Victory in July's home event at Portsmouth put BAR top of the 2015-16 standings.

The four-time Olympic gold medal winner clinched the World Series title at the final leg in Fukuoka, Japan in November 2016.

In Fukuoka, the crew visited the Kokonoe Beya Sumo Stable to get an insight into the wrestlers' training techniques.

Ainslie has the royal backing of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -- who is the patron of his 1851 Trust, and has been a high-profile supporter in his bid to raise the reported £80 million ($105 million) he needs to fund his America's Cup campaign.

Here the Duchess of Cambridge joins Ainslie on a sailing simulator at his team's Portsmouth base in 2015.

After winning the World Series, BAR will take two bonus points into the America's Cup qualifiers starting on May 26.

The winner of the challenger competition will then take on defending champion Oracle Team USA for the America's Cup title.