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

Robotics

Massimo Callegari¹  Cecilia Scoccia¹  Matteo Palpacelli¹  Daniele Costa¹  David Scaradozzi² 

[1] Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy;Department of Information Engineering, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy;

关键词: biomimetics;    underwater robots;    robotics;    multibody systems;    transmission systems;    autonomous underwater vehicles;   

DOI  :  10.3390/robotics11010011

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

Unknown