This video presents the development and motion control strategies for a small bio-inspired underwater robot that employs a pair of undulatory fins for propulsion. Each fin is comprised of three individually actuated fin rays, which are interconnected by an elastic membrane. An on-board microcontroller (Arduino Mega 2560) generates the rays’ motion pattern that result in the fins’ undulations, through which propulsion is obtained. The prototype, which is fully untethered and energetically autonomous, also integrates an IMU/AHRS unit for navigation purposes, a wireless communication module, and an on-board video camera.
The video contains footage from experiments conducted in a laboratory test tank to investigate closed loop motion control strategies, as well as footage from sea trials.
The robotic prototype was developed at the Control Systems and Robotics Laboratory of the Technological Educational Institute of Crete, in Heraklion, Greece.
