An adjustable scotch yoke mechanism for robotic dolphin

Abstract

This paper describes the design, construction, and performance analysis of an adjustable Scotch yoke mechanism mimicking the dorsoventral movement for dolphin-like robots. Since dolphins propel themselves by vertical oscillations following a sinusoidal path with alterable amplitudes, a two-motor-driven Scotch yoke mechanism is adopted as the main propulsor to generate sinusoidal oscillations, where leading screw mechanism and rack and pinion mechanism actuated by the minor motor are incorporated to independently change the length of the crank actuated by the major motor. Meanwhile, the output of the Scotch yoke, i.e., reciprocating motion, is converted into the up-and-down oscillation via rack and gear transmission. A motion control scheme based on the novel Scotch yoke is then formed and applied to achieve desired propulsion. Preliminary tests in a robotics context finally confirm the feasibility of the developed mechanism in mechanics and propulsion.