A novel propulsion method of flexible underwater robots

Abstract

This paper aims at mobility enhancement of flexible underwater robots. For this purpose, a novel propulsion method utilizing both static and dynamic deformation of a flexible planar structure is proposed. By actuating the planar structure in two dimensions, various propulsive motions can be generated and the realization of various robotic movements can be expected. Two prototypes of such kind of robots with square and circular shape driven by two pieces of piezoelectric fiber composites has been developed. As the experimental results, the movements with multiple DOFs, holonomic and non-holonomic movements have been realized by the robots. The motion mechanism for the movements are discussed by simulation results.