Proposal of miniature aquatic robot utilizing resonance of elastic plate

Abstract

In this paper, a miniature aquatic robot including a vibration motor is proposed, which is propelled by utilizing the resonance of an elastic plate fixed on the outer shell. This method makes the waterproofing design easy. The prototype, which can be wireless operated and achieve self-locomotion, is fabricated. Some experiments are examined to investigate the swimming speed and resonant frequency which are changed according to various parameters such as shape of elastic plate, positions of vibrator and weight, and so on. In addition, the steering performance using another prototype with the two different elastic plates is demonstrated.