Design of a Labriform-Steering Underwater Robot Using a Multiphysics Simulation Environment

Daniele Costa,Cecilia Scoccia,Massimo Callegari,Matteo Palpacelli,David Scaradozzi

doi:10.3390/robotics11010011

Abstract

Bio-inspired solutions devised for Autonomous Underwater Robots are currently investigated by researchers as a source of propulsive improvement. To address this ambitious objective, the authors have designed a carangiform swimming robot, which represents a compromise in terms of efficiency and maximum velocity. The requirements of stabilizing a course and performing turns were not met in their previous works. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to improve the vehicle maneuvering capabilities by means of a novel transmission system capable of transforming the constant angular velocity of a single rotary actuator into the pitching–yawing rotation of fish pectoral fins. Here, the biomimetic thrusters exploit the drag-based momentum transfer mechanism of labriform swimmers to generate the necessary steering torque. Aside from inertia and encumbrance reduction, the main improvement of this solution is the inherent synchronization of the system granted by the mechanism’s kinematics. The system was sized by using the experimental results collected by biologists and then integrated in a multiphysics simulation environment to predict the resulting maneuvering performance.

Highlights

The locomotion of aquatic animals has attracted the attention of biologists and engineers for a long time, and the last thirty years have witnessed a significant growth in the study of the comparative biomechanics of motion through water
The attempts to design machines, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of moving similar to biological swimmers are inspired by the superior performance of marine animals and fish in terms of both efficiency and maneuverability
On the basis of the aforementioned factors, the aim of the present work is to design a novel transmission system driven by a single rotary actuator that is capable of driving the pectoral fins of the robotic fish [5] while exploiting the drag-based momentum transfer mechanism of labriform locomotion

Summary

Introduction

The locomotion of aquatic animals has attracted the attention of biologists and engineers for a long time, and the last thirty years have witnessed a significant growth in the study of the comparative biomechanics of motion through water. The possibility of exploiting the swimming modes that fish have evolved over thousands of years requires insight into the fluid mechanic principles underlying aquatic animal locomotion. Propulsive thrust is generated from the momentum transfer due to the relative motion between the fish body and the surrounding water. Most fish generate thrust by bending their bodies into a backward-moving propulsive wave that extends to their caudal fin, a type of swimming classified as Body and Caudal Fin (BCF)

Objectives

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Discussion

Conclusion