Conceptual Design and Simulation of a BCF Swimming Soft Robotic Fish for Deep-Sea

Abstract

This work provides a design of a deep-sea soft robotic fish propelled by the body and/or caudal fin (BCF) mode. The robotic fish consists of a bionic fish head and a BCF propulsion body. To enhance the swimming performance of the first soft robot fish in the deep sea, the design combines the advantages of high efficiency in BCF propulsion with the large deformation angle of dielectric elastomers (DE) flexible joints. The connection of the bionic fish head and BCF is cast in one piece of silicone to achieve deep-sea pressure self-adaptation of the soft robotic fish. The swimming performance was simulated using the CFD method, and the BCF propulsion behaviors were analyzed to evaluate the design proposed. The design goal was verified through numerical calculation, and a further enhanced strategy for the thrust ability of the fish was presented as well. This work can provide a low-cost bionic soft robot fish solution for deep-sea exploration.