A Bioinspired Cownose Ray Robot for Seabed Exploration

This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled forward due to momentum conservation. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2023-01, Vol.8 (1), p.30
Main Authors: Bianchi, Giovanni, Maffi, Lorenzo, Tealdi, Michele, Cinquemani, Simone
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
autonomous underwater vehicle
Autonomous underwater vehicles
batoid fishes
bioinspired robot
Biomimetics
Control algorithms
cownose ray
Design and construction
Energy efficiency
Environmental monitoring
Equipment and supplies
Fins
Fish
flexible fins
Innovations
Locomotion
Remote submersibles
Research robots
Robotics
Robots
Silicones
Swimming
swimming locomotion
Underwater exploration
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Summary:This article presents the design and the experimental tests of a bioinspired robot mimicking the cownose ray. These fish swim by moving their large and flat pectoral fins, creating a wave that pushes backward the surrounding water so that the fish is propelled forward due to momentum conservation. The robot inspired by these animals has a rigid central body, housing motors, batteries, and electronics, and flexible pectoral fins made of silicone rubber. Each of them is actuated by a servomotor driving a link inside the leading edge, and the traveling wave is reproduced thanks to the flexibility of the fin itself. In addition to the pectoral fins, two small rigid caudal fins are present to improve the robot's maneuverability. The robot has been designed, built, and tested underwater, and the experiments have shown that the locomotion principle is valid and that the robot is able to swim forward, perform left and right turns, and do floating or diving maneuvers.
ISSN:2313-7673
2313-7673
DOI:10.3390/biomimetics8010030