Soft ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) robot swimming in viscous fluid

Abstract

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is an ideal material for underwater biomimetic robots. Its softness is very helpful for generating biomimetic motion. Because IPMCs naturally contain water they do not require extra sealing. The resulting robot can be soft and lightweight. Previous research on swimming robots is focused on robots swimming in water. In our study we compare the suitability of two different locomotion patterns - tail oscillation and body undulation, for swimming in viscous fluid. We found that in water both patterns could propel the robot by generating vortices behind the robot body. In viscous fluid the robot could be propelled only by body undulation without much disturbance of nearby fluid. Unlike tail oscillation, the whole body undulation was shown to be a suitable pattern for locomotion in both water and viscous fluid.