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A biomimetic cownose ray robot fish with oscillating and chordwise twisting flexible pectoral fins

Hongwei Ma (Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China)
Yueri Cai (Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China)
Yuliang Wang (Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China)
Shusheng Bi (Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China)
Zhao Gong (Robotics Institute, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China)

Industrial Robot

ISSN: 0143-991x

Article publication date: 18 May 2015

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to develop a cownose ray-inspired robotic fish which can be propelled by oscillating and chordwise twisting pectoral fins.

Design/methodology/approach

The bionic pectoral fin which can simultaneously realize the combination of oscillating motion and chordwise twisting motion is designed based on analyzing the movement of cownose ray’s pectoral fins. The structural design and control system construction of the robotic fish are presented. Finally, a series of swimming experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the design for the bionic pectoral fin.

Findings

The experimental results show that the deformation of the bionic pectoral fin can be well close to that of the cownose ray’s. The bionic pectoral fin can produce effective angle of attack, and the thrust generated can propel robotic fish effectively. Furthermore, the tests of swimming performance in the water tank show that the robotic fish can achieve a maximum forward speed of 0.43 m/s (0.94 times of body length per second) and an excellent turning maneuverability with a small radius.

Originality/value

The oscillating and pitching motion can be obtained simultaneously by the active control of chordwise twisting motion of the bionic pectoral fin, which can better imitate the movement of cownose ray’s pectoral fin. The designed bionic pectoral fin can provide an experimental platform for further study of the effect of the spanwise and chordwise flexibility on propulsion performance.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 51205011), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (BUAA: YWF-14-RSC-107) and Innovation Foundation of BUAA for PhD graduates. The authors would like to express their thanks to other members of robotic fish research team for their help in the related experiments, including Shuai Ren, Yong Cao and Lingkun Chen.

Citation

Ma, H., Cai, Y., Wang, Y., Bi, S. and Gong, Z. (2015), "A biomimetic cownose ray robot fish with oscillating and chordwise twisting flexible pectoral fins", Industrial Robot, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 214-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-11-2014-0426

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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