Design and Control of Bionic Manta Ray Robot With Flexible Pectoral Fin

Abstract

Manta rays can achieve flexible movements underwater with high propulsive efficiency. Bionic manta ray robot has always been a hotspot in bio-robot research. In this paper, a novel bionic Manta Ray robot is proposed based on the synthetically biological observation of manta ray. Firstly, flexible mechanism and rigid support are integrated in the mechanical structure design of this robot and real flexible deformation of the pectoral fins can be well simulated. Secondly, central pattern generator (CPG) control approach is used to achieve the rhythmic biomimetic movement. Experiments with a demo prototype are conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of proposed approaches.