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Experimental investigation and propulsion control for a bio-inspired robotic undulatory fin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2015

Michael Sfakiotakis ,
John Fasoulas ,
Manolis M. Kavoussanos  and
Manolis Arapis
Michael Sfakiotakis*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
John Fasoulas
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Manolis M. Kavoussanos
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Manolis Arapis
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Technological Educational Institute of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: msfak@staff.teicrete.gr
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Summary

Undulatory fin propulsion, inspired by the locomotion of aquatic species such as electric eels and cuttlefish, holds considerable potential for endowing underwater vehicles with enhanced propulsion and maneuvering abilities, to address the needs of a growing number of applications. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of the effect of the fin undulations' characteristics on the generated thrust, particularly within the context of developing propulsion control strategies for such robotic systems. Towards this end, we present the design and experimental evaluation of a robotic fin prototype, comprised of eight individually-actuated fin rays. An artificial central pattern generator (CPG) is used to produce the rays' undulatory motion pattern. Experiments are performed inside a water tank, with the robotic fin suspended from a carriage, whose motion is constrained via a linear guide. The results from a series of detailed parametric investigations reveal several important findings regarding the effect of the undulatory wave kinematics on the propulsion speed and efficiency. Based on these findings, two alternative strategies for propulsion control of the robotic fin are proposed. In the first one, the speed is varied through changes in the undulation amplitude, while the second one involves simultaneous adjustment of the undulation frequency and number of waves. These two strategies are evaluated via experiments demonstrating open-loop velocity control, as well as closed-loop position control of the prototype.

Keywords

Undulatory fin propulsionbio-inspired robotic locomotioncentral pattern generatorsunderwater robots
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 33 , Special Issue 5: Robotics in the Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD 2013) , June 2015 , pp. 1062 - 1084
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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