Design of a semi-autonomous hybrid mobility surf-zone robot

Abstract

Surf zone environments pose extreme challenges to robot operation. A robot that could autonomously navigate through the rocky terrain, constantly changing underwater currents, hard-packed moist sand, and loose dry sand characterizing this environment, would have very significant utility for a range of defence and civilian missions. The study of animal locomotion mechanisms can elucidate specific movement principles that can be applied to address these demands. In this work, we report on the design and optimization of a biologically inspired autonomous robot for deployment and operation in an ocean beach environment. Based on recent success with beach environment autonomy and a new rugged waterproof robotic platform, we propose a new design that will fuse a range of insect-inspired passive mechanisms with active autonomous control architectures to seamlessly adapt to and traverse through a range of challenging substrates both in and out of the water.