Design and Control of a Fish-like Robot Using an Electrostatic Motor

This paper presents a project that aims at constructing a biologically inspired fish-like robot. The robot is designed to be capable of propelling itself through oscillations of a flexible caudal fin, like a real underwater fish. In particular, the caudal fin is driven by a mechanism actuated by a unique actuator called electrostatic film motor. In this paper, the dynamics of the electrostatic film motor are briefly introduced so as to well understand its characteristics and behavior. Based on the theoretical analysis and several design considerations inspired by biological concepts, we realize the fish-like robot actuated by an electrostatic film motor and propose swimming control methods for it. Experiments are carried out to confirm the validity of the original design and control. The current robot achieves fish-like maneuvering and approximate velocity of 0.018 m/s in dielectric liquid.

[1]  Huosheng Hu,et al.  Mimicry of Sharp Turning Behaviours in a Robotic Fish , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[2]  D. S. B A R R E T T,et al.  Drag reduction in fish-like locomotion , 2022 .

[3]  M. Triantafyllou,et al.  An Efficient Swimming Machine , 1995 .

[4]  Shuxiang Guo,et al.  A new type of fish-like underwater microrobot , 2003 .

[5]  N. Shinjo,et al.  Use of a shape memory alloy for the design of an oscillatory propulsion system , 2004, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

[6]  Toshiki Niino,et al.  Modeling and identification of an electrostatic motor , 2006 .

[7]  Michael Sfakiotakis,et al.  Review of fish swimming modes for aquatic locomotion , 1999 .

[8]  T. Niino,et al.  Development of an electrostatic actuator exceeding 10 N propulsive force , 1992, [1992] Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[9]  Huosheng Hu,et al.  Novel mechatronics design for a robotic fish , 2005, 2005 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[10]  K.M. Lynch,et al.  Mechanics and control of swimming: a review , 2004, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

[11]  Akio Yamamoto,et al.  Evaluation of an Electrostatic Film Motor Driven by Two-Four-Phase AC Voltage and Electrostatic Induction , 2007, Proceedings 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[12]  P. Webb,et al.  Hydrostatic stability of fish with swim bladders: not all fish are unstable , 1994 .

[13]  Gregory N. Washington,et al.  Design and evolution of a piezoelectrically actuated miniature swimming vehicle , 2003 .

[14]  R J Full,et al.  Templates and anchors: neuromechanical hypotheses of legged locomotion on land. , 1999, The Journal of experimental biology.