Link: How Do You Make A Robot Fish? Copy Bluefin Tuna -- Robotics -- InformationWeek.
"The Olin-Boston Engineering project expects to have a working prototype of its "RoboTuna" by the end of the year.
The Olin-Boston Engineering project's robotic tuna is based on the species' biology and behavior with a spine and vertebrae that produce motion via synthetic muscles. Barrett said the robot's fins and tail produce motion and propulsion."
The bluefin tuna is one of the fastest fish, clocked at up to speeds of 50 mph. It also has a roughly circular shape, making it an ideal shape for prototypes. The original prototype, Charlie I, was created by David Barrett in 1995 for his PhD thesis as part of a "project began in 1993 with the
overall goal of developing a better propulsion system for autonomous
underwater vehicles, or AUVs". The website describes the challenges of developing a dynamic model of the tuna. Although only a "low-order copy", the alternative of developing an analytic model is currently beyond our abilities. Results so far suggest that drag on the swimming RoboTuna is reduced by half compared to when it is not moving, a phenomenon sometimes called Gray's Paradox.
Comments