Design and Implementation of a Miniature Jellyfish-Inspired Robot

Abstract

With the development of the global marine industry, the demand to investigate underwater environments using robots is increasing. Inspired by the unique structure and excellent swimming ability of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Aurelia aurita</i> , a miniature jellyfish-inspired robot is developed. The robot comprises a headshell, six tentacles, a primary drive component, two flywheel steering components, a lightweight foam block, a dsPIC control system, and an energy supply component. The tentacles are covered with a 0.1-mm-thick silicone membrane and modeled in the shape of an umbrella. The membrane is driven by a gear motor to mimic the contraction and expansion of the interior cavity of a jellyfish; it exhibits the swimming behavior via water jet propulsion. Three-dimensional swimming is achieved by the flywheel steering components following the conservation of angular momentum. A built-in LoRa communication module (433 MHz) enables a robust, real-time connection between the robot and a terrestrial console. The small-sized, lightweight jellyfish robot has a diameter of 110 mm and a height of 140 mm; it weighs 318 g and achieves autonomous swimming with low power consumption. The robot can be used for underwater signal relay, environmental monitoring, and geological investigations.