Design and Control Strategy of Bio-inspired Underwater Vehicle with Flexible Propulsor

Biomimetics aims to take inspiration from nature and develop new models and efficient systems for a sustainable future. Bioinspired underwater robotics help develop future submarines that will navigate through the water using flexible propulsor. This research has focused on the Manta Ray species as batoid has a unique advantage over other species. This study also aims to improve AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) efficiency through biomimetic design, the purpose of which is to observe and study the marine environment, be it for sea exploration or navigation. The design and prototyping process of bioinspired AUVs have been mentioned in this study, along with testing a propulsive mechanism for efficient swimming and turning capabilities. The Robot was designed taking structural considerations from the actual Manta-Ray locomotion and body design. The propulsion mechanism and control circuit were then implemented on the developed systems. The prototype of the Manta Ray was able to generate a realistic swimming pattern and was tested in an acrylic tank. The experimental results obtained in the tank basin are very close to the results we observe in the real-world scenario in terms of the vehicle's forward and turning motion.

Tail shapes lead to different propulsive mechanisms in the body/caudal fin undulation of fish

In this paper, we investigate the hydrodynamics of swimmers with three caudal fins: a round one corresponding to snakehead fish ( Channidae), an indented one corresponding to saithe ( Pollachius virens), and a lunate one corresponding to tuna ( Thunnus thynnus). A direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach with a self-propelled fish model was adopted. The simulation results show that the caudal fin transitions from a pushing/suction combined propulsive mechanism to a suction-dominated propulsive mechanism with increasing aspect ratio ( AR). Interestingly, different from a previous finding that suction-based propulsion leads to high efficiency in animal swimming, this study shows that the utilization of suction-based propulsion by a high- AR caudal fin reduces swimming efficiency. Therefore, the suction-based propulsive mechanism does not necessarily lead to high efficiency, while other factors might play a role. Further analysis shows that the large lateral momentum transferred to the flow due to the high depth of the high- AR caudal fin leads to the lowest efficiency despite the most significant suction.

A ctenophore (comb jelly) employs vortex rebound dynamics and outperforms other gelatinous swimmers

Gelatinous zooplankton exhibit a wide range of propulsive swimming modes. One of the most energetically efficient is the rowing behaviour exhibited by many species of schyphomedusae, which employ vortex interactions to achieve this result. Ctenophores (comb jellies) typically use a slow swimming, cilia-based mode of propulsion. However, species within the genus Ocyropsis have developed an additional propulsive strategy of rowing the lobes, which are normally used for feeding, in order to rapidly escape from predators. In this study, we used high-speed digital particle image velocimetry to examine the kinematics and fluid dynamics of this rarely studied propulsive mechanism. This mechanism allows Ocyropsis to achieve size-adjusted speeds that are nearly double those of other large gelatinous swimmers. The investigation of the fluid dynamic basis of this escape mode reveals novel vortex interactions that have not previously been described for other biological propulsion systems. The arrangement of vortices during escape swimming produces a similar configuration and impact as that of the well-studied ‘vortex rebound’ phenomenon which occurs when a vortex ring approaches a solid wall. These results extend our understanding of how animals use vortex–vortex interactions and provide important insights that can inform the bioinspired engineering of propulsion systems.

Improving the engine power of a catalytic Janus-sphere micromotor by roughening its surface

<div> <div> <div> <p>Microspheres with catalytic caps have become a popular model system for studying self- propelled colloids. Existing experimental studies involve predominantly “smooth” particle surfaces. In this study we determine the effect of irregular surface deformations on the propulsive mechanism with a particular focus on speed. The particle surfaces were deformed prior to depositing a catalytic layer which resulted in the formation of nanoscopic pillars of catalyst. These features were shown to boost speed (~2×) when the underlying surface deformations are small (nanoscale), whilst large deformations afforded little difference despite a substantial apparent catalytic surface area. Colloids with deformed surfaces were more likely to display a mixture of rotational and translational propulsion than their “smooth” counterparts. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Improving the engine power of a catalytic Janus-sphere micromotor by roughening its surface

<div> <div> <div> <p>Microspheres with catalytic caps have become a popular model system for studying self- propelled colloids. Existing experimental studies involve predominantly “smooth” particle surfaces. In this study we determine the effect of irregular surface deformations on the propulsive mechanism with a particular focus on speed. The particle surfaces were deformed prior to depositing a catalytic layer which resulted in the formation of nanoscopic pillars of catalyst. These features were shown to boost speed (~2×) when the underlying surface deformations are small (nanoscale), whilst large deformations afforded little difference despite a substantial apparent catalytic surface area. Colloids with deformed surfaces were more likely to display a mixture of rotational and translational propulsion than their “smooth” counterparts. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Experimental Research on a Novel Design of Variable Area Caudal Fin

Caudal fin has fascinated researchers for decades for their great role in fish swimming, and researchers have developed lots of designs of caudal fin to achieve high efficiency and speed propulsion. This paper presents a novel design of variable area caudal fin. A “window” which can rotate freely is designed in the middle of the fin and it can be opened by the fluid force and closed by a simple mechanism. By closing or opening the “window”, the caudal fin can vary its area dynamically in the out-stroke and in-stroke in its motion. Four modes to control the “window” in the pitching motion is then presented, their hydrodynamic forces including thrust force, lateral force and lift force are studied. It is found out that the variable area fin model can indeed improve the propulsion performance compared with the traditional fin, and the mode of closing the “window” in the out-stroke and opening the “window” in the in-stroke can generate the largest thrust force for our model than the other modes. Moreover, experiments about various kinematic parameters with different modes are conducted, it is found out different modes behave quite different with same pitching frequency and amplitude, and its propulsive performance is highly depend on the kinematic parameters. The variable area caudal fin model casts an inspiration for the novel design of underwater propulsive mechanism and the results will be useful for the propulsion study of underwater bio-mimetic vehicles.

Complex Modal Analysis of the Swimming Motion of a Whiting

The kinematics of the transverse motion of a swimming fish are analyzed using a complex modal decomposition. Cinematographic images of a swimming whiting (Gadus merlangus) were obtained from the work of Sir James Gray (1933, “Studies in Animal Locomotion III. The Propulsive Mechanism of the Whiting (Gadus merlangus),” J. Exp. Biol., 10, pp. 391–402). The position of the midline for each image was determined and used to produce planar positions of virtual markers distributed along the midline of the fish. Transverse deflections of each virtual marker were then used for the complex orthogonal decomposition of modes. This method was applied to images of a whiting before and after amputation in a Newtonian frame of reference and an “anterior-body-fixed” frame as well. The fish motions were well represented by a single complex mode, which was then used as a modal filter. The extracted mode and modal coordinate were used to estimate the frequency, wavelength, and wave speed. The amputated fish was compared to the nonamputated fish, and the amount of traveling in the respective waveforms was quantified. The dominant complex mode shape and the estimated modal frequency were employed to reanimate the fish motion.