Theory Of Wing Sections Including A Summary Of Airfoil Data

As a novel biologically inspired underwater vehicle, a robotic manta ray (RoMan-II) has been developed for potential marine applications. Manta ray can perform diversified locomotion patterns in water by manipulating two wide tins. These motion patterns have been implemented on the developed fish robot, including swimming by flapping fins, turning by modulating phase relations of fins, and online transition of different motion patterns. The movements are achieved by using a model of artificial central pattern generators (CPGs) constructed with coupled nonlinear oscillators. This paper focuses on the analytical formulation of coupling terms in the CPG model and the implementation issues of the CPG-based control on the fish robot. The control method demonstrated on the manta ray robot is expected to be a frame- work that can tackle locomotion control problems in other types of multifin-actuated fish robots or more general robots with rhythmic movement patterns.

Design and Locomotion Control of a Biomimetic Underwater Vehicle With Fin Propulsion

Soft robotics and its related technologies enable robot abilities in several robotics domains including, but not exclusively related to, manipulation, manufacturing, human–robot interaction and locomotion. Although field applications have emerged for soft manipulation and human–robot interaction, mobile soft robots appear to remain in the research stage, involving the somehow conflictual goals of having a deformable body and exerting forces on the environment to achieve locomotion. This paper aims to provide a reference guide for researchers approaching mobile soft robotics, to describe the underlying principles of soft robot locomotion with its pros and cons, and to envisage applications and further developments for mobile soft robotics.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsif.2017.0101

Fundamentals of soft robot locomotion.

Underwater robot designs inspired by the behavior, physiology, and anatomy of fishes can provide enhanced maneuverability, stealth, and energy efficiency. Over the last two decades, robotics researchers have developed and reported a large variety of fish-inspired robot designs. The purpose of this review is to report different types of fish-inspired robot designs based upon their intended locomotion patterns. We present a detailed comparison of various design features like sensing, actuation, autonomy, waterproofing, and morphological structure of fish-inspired robots reported in the past decade. We believe that by studying the existing robots, future designers will be able to create new designs by adopting features from the successful robots. The review also summarizes the open research issues that need to be taken up for the further advancement of the field and also for the deployment of fish-inspired robots in practice.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-3190/11/3/031001/pdf

Fish-inspired robots: design, sensing, actuation, and autonomy--a review of research.

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are playing an ever-growing role in modern subocean operations, generating a demand for faster, more manoeuvrable designs capable of deployments of increasingly longer durations. In order to meet these demands, vehicle developers have been looking to biological aquatic animals for inspiration. After evolving for millions of years, fish and cetaceans have developed fast efficient locomotion techniques, with levels of manoeuvrability that far outperform conventional engineered marine locomotion systems. This paper aims to give a brief introduction into some of the biologically inspired propulsion mechanisms that have been developed, to explain their strengths, their weaknesses, and the motivation behind them, and then finally to predict future trends in biomimetic AUV propulsion design.

A review of developments towards biologically inspired propulsion systems for autonomous underwater vehicles

Design and Experiments of a Robotic Fish Imitating Cow-Nosed Ray

This paper showed our preliminary work in probing into fish robot with pectoral fin propulsion. The aim of this project is to develop a fish robot mimicking manta rays that swim with flexible pectoral fins in oscillation motion. Based on the analysis of motion feature and skeletal structure of pectoral fin of manta rays, a kind of flexible pectoral fin made of silicone rubber was designed. Experiments on the propulsion of fin prototype were carried out in tank. Experiment results showed that flexible pectoral fin in oscillation motion could generate great thrust and the thrust would increase with fin-beat frequency and amplitude increasing. In the end, a robot fish with flexible pectoral fins was built. The speed of robot fish could reach the maximum of 1.4 times BL (body length) per second. Experiments proved that it was feasible to develop a robot fish featuring flexible pectoral fins in oscillation motion and the method to mimic manta rays was a great idea to improve performance of underwater vehicles.

Development and design of a robotic manta ray featuring flexible pectoral fins

Manta Ray generates thrust force by flapping two pectoral fins, which inspires the parametric study of the fin that affects the swimming performance. In this paper, the design of a robotic manta ray (RoMan-III) will be presented. A biomimetic flapping fin model will be discussed. The forward flapping motion, turning and gliding motions are considered in the study of Manta Ray's locomotion. Parameters related to thrust generation include the fin flapping amplitude, frequency, fin area, and fin shape. The fin model is derived based on a simplified model by Bernoulli equation. A scheme of motion control is also suggested for the fish locomotion. Experimental results have been obtained to demonstrate the validity of the proposed model.

Improvement and testing of a robotic manta ray (RoMan-III)

This paper described our work in probing into fish robot with pectoral fin propulsion. The aim of this project is to develop a robot fish mimicking cownose ray that swims with flexible pectoral fins in oscillation motion. According to the analysis of cownose ray'motion, a novel robot fish prototype propelled by pectoral fins was designed, The effect of flapping parameters (frequency and amplitude) and flexibility of fins on the propulsive performance was studied through a series of experiments underwater. Experiments showed that the velocity was almost in linear relationship with flapping frequency and amplitude below 2.0Hz, and the propulsive efficiency without chord-wise or span-wise ribs is higher than that with ribs. The conclusion is deduced that if the flexibility was selected properly, the pectoral fins with flapping mode would be an efficient propulsion mode for underwater vehicles.

Design and experiments of robot fish propelled by pectoral fins

Features of fish-like environmental compatibility and maneuverability have attracted bioinspired design researchers worldwide to contemplate the practical applications of robotic fish This article presents a conceptual design for and the development of a robotic fish inspired by the cownose ray We extracted essential biomimetic parameters of the cownose ray to develop reasonable simplifications of the body shape, the mechanical structure design principle of the multijointdriving fin rays, and the motion principle The practical motion abilities of the bionic prototype's internally driven skeleton are calculated theoretically and compared with its natural model Parameters affecting propulsion performances are analyzed using a one-dimensional (1-D) calculation method The basic motion modes are obtained according to the analysis

/pdf/from-natural-complexity-to-biomimetic-simplification-the-4f9fp3ybik.pdf

Shusheng Bi

Papers

Design and Experiments of a Robotic Fish Imitating Cow-Nosed Ray

Development and design of a robotic manta ray featuring flexible pectoral fins

Improvement and testing of a robotic manta ray (RoMan-III)

Design and experiments of robot fish propelled by pectoral fins

From Natural Complexity to Biomimetic Simplification: The Realization of Bionic Fish Inspired by the Cownose Ray