Abstract
The prominent rostrum of the North American Paddlefish, supported by a lattice-like endoskeleton, is highly durable, making it an important candidate for bio-inspiration studies. Energy dissipation and load-bearing capacity of the structure from extreme physical force has been demonstrated superior to that of man-made systems, but response to continuous hydraulic forces is unknown and requires special instrumentation for in vivo testing on a live fish. A single supply strain gage amplifier circuit has been combined with a digital three-axis accelerometer, implemented in a printed circuit board (PCB), and integrated with the commercial-off-the-shelf Adafruit Feather M0 datalogger with a microSD card. The device is battery powered and enclosed in silicon before attachment around the rostrum with a silicon strap "watch band." As proof-of-concept, we tested the instrumentation on an amputated Paddlefish rostrum in a water-filled swim tunnel and successfully obtained interpretable data. Results indicate that this design could work on live swimming fish in future in vivo experiments.
Highlights
An elongated beak-like snout, or rostrum, is prominent among several families of fishes including sawfish (Pristidae), swordfish (Xiphiidae), and marlins (Istiophoridae), but it is especially pronounced in the North American Paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Polyodontidae) [1]
We present specifications for such instrumentation, a protocol for implementation, and a proof-of-concept experiment demonstrating efficacy
The instrumentation successfully collected data continuously from the horizontally-positioned rostrum for three discrete 5-min intervals corresponding to static, slow, and fast-flowing water
Summary
An elongated beak-like snout, or rostrum, is prominent among several families of fishes including sawfish (Pristidae), swordfish (Xiphiidae), and marlins (Istiophoridae), but it is especially pronounced in the North American Paddlefish, Polyodon spathula (Polyodontidae) [1]. The rostrum is unusually large and variable in shape [3,4]. It has multiple vital functions, as a sensory antennae detecting vibratory and electrical signals [5,6,7] and as a locomotor structure providing lift and enhanceed swim speed [8,9]. Paddlefish can live for 30–60 years [10] and migrate extraordinary distances (up to 2000 km) through structurally and hydraulically complex environments [11,12].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call