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Development of Soft Flying Fish Robot for Aerial-Aquatic Escape
To adapt to the ever changing environment of multiple mediums such as air and water, multi-functionality and multi-environment adaptability are desired skills for exploration and environmental monitoring robots. This project aims at developing a single robot capable of morphing its body for energetically efficient multi-modal locomotion in the air, water surface and underwater. In specific, we will explore fish-inspired smart-material based actuation and flexible body designs that allow for underwater propulsion, steering in flight and transition from water to air.
The work will be subdivided in the following tasks:
1. Literature research and familiarization with biological aerial-aquatic locomotion, and with soft robotics methods.
2. Optimization of the shape, stiffness, and drive system of the caudal fin.
3. Manufacturing of prototypes and performance characterization in water tank/tunnel.
4. Integration with deployable wings and test glide in a representative environment.
The work location will be the Centre for Robotics at Empa (Dübendorf) and will be conducted in collaboration with the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London. The formal supervision will be performed by (Host university supervisor to be decided).
The work will be subdivided in the following tasks:
1. Literature research and familiarization with biological aerial-aquatic locomotion, and with soft robotics methods. 2. Optimization of the shape, stiffness, and drive system of the caudal fin. 3. Manufacturing of prototypes and performance characterization in water tank/tunnel. 4. Integration with deployable wings and test glide in a representative environment.
The work location will be the Centre for Robotics at Empa (Dübendorf) and will be conducted in collaboration with the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London. The formal supervision will be performed by (Host university supervisor to be decided).
The objective of this project is to explore smart-material based actuation and flexible body designs that allow for underwater propulsion, steering in flight and transition from water to air. Firstly, we will classify fish known to perform bi-modal locomotion according to their type of caudal fin propulsion and identify suitable designs from there. Some of the important features of this system will include: (i) optimal caudal fin stiffness distribution, (ii) soft-sensing methods for proprioceptive sensing of the fin curvature, integrated deployable wings. Numerical tools will be used to optimise the stiffness distribution of the flexible body to maximise propulsion in different modes of locomotion, and state of the art methods used to manufacture soft structures, sensors and actuators.
The objective of this project is to explore smart-material based actuation and flexible body designs that allow for underwater propulsion, steering in flight and transition from water to air. Firstly, we will classify fish known to perform bi-modal locomotion according to their type of caudal fin propulsion and identify suitable designs from there. Some of the important features of this system will include: (i) optimal caudal fin stiffness distribution, (ii) soft-sensing methods for proprioceptive sensing of the fin curvature, integrated deployable wings. Numerical tools will be used to optimise the stiffness distribution of the flexible body to maximise propulsion in different modes of locomotion, and state of the art methods used to manufacture soft structures, sensors and actuators.