Conceptual design and multifield coupling behavior of magnetically propelled fish-like swimmers

Abstract

Composites reinforced with ferromagnetic particles have been widely used in various engineering areas and have been extensively attracted more attention for the past decade because of their magnetic dependent properties can be dramatically altered by applying a magnetic field. In this study, a conceptual model based on the soft composites filled with magnetoactive particles was proposed, and the numerical research of magneto-fluid-solid coupling behaviours for a soft biomimetic robot fish driven magnetically was carried out. Under the action of magnetic field, the magnetic sensitive materials distributed in specific parts of the robot fish body will deform and cause the whole body of the fish swinging, to flap the liquid and generate forward thrust, resulting in pushing the fish forward. The corresponding multifield coupling equations for the mechanism and responses of magnetically propelled fish-like swimmers were developed and simulated numerically using the COMSOL multiphysics software. The effects of the tail length, the modulus of magnetic sensitive materials and spatial arrangement feature on the swimming ability of the fish-like structure were analyzed in detail. The relevant results are expected to provide a theoretical guidance for the potential applications of such biomimetic devices in intelligent far-field driving, drug delivery and other fields.