TY - JOUR
T1 - Robust Maneuverability of a Miniature, Low-Cost Underwater Robot Using Multiple Fin Actuation
AU - Berlinger, Florian
AU - Dusek, Jeff
AU - Gauci, Melvin
AU - Nagpal, Radhika
N1 - Funding Information:
Manuscript received February 15, 2017; accepted July 10, 2017. Date of publication August 2, 2017; date of current version August 17, 2018. This letter was recommended for publication by Associate Editor M. D. Dunbabin and Editor J. Roberts upon evaluation of the reviewers’ comments. This work was supported by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. (Corresponding author: Florian Berlinger.) The authors are with the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA (e-mail: fberlinger@seas.harvard.edu; jdusek@g.harvard.edu; mgauci@g.harvard.edu; rad@eecs.harvard.edu).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 IEEE.
PY - 2018/1
Y1 - 2018/1
N2 - In this letter, we present the design of a miniature (100 mm) autonomous underwater robot that is low-cost ($ 100), easy to manufacture, and highly maneuverable. A key aspect of the robot design that makes this possible is the use of low-cost magnet-in-coil actuators, which have a small profile and minimal sealing requirements. This allows us to create a robot with multiple flapping fin propulsors that independently control robot motions in surge, heave, and yaw. We present several results on the robot, including 1) quantified open-loop swimming characteristics; 2) autonomous behaviors using a pressure sensor and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to achieve controlled swimming of prescribed trajectories; 3) feedback from an optic sensor to enable homing to a light source. The robot is designed to form the basis for underwater swarm robotics testbeds, where low cost and ease of manufacture are critical, and three-dimensional (3-D) maneuverability allows testing complex coordination inspired by natural fish schools. Individually, miniature and low-cost underwater robots can also provide a platform for the study of 3-D autonomy and marine vehicle dynamics in educational and resource-constrained settings.
AB - In this letter, we present the design of a miniature (100 mm) autonomous underwater robot that is low-cost ($ 100), easy to manufacture, and highly maneuverable. A key aspect of the robot design that makes this possible is the use of low-cost magnet-in-coil actuators, which have a small profile and minimal sealing requirements. This allows us to create a robot with multiple flapping fin propulsors that independently control robot motions in surge, heave, and yaw. We present several results on the robot, including 1) quantified open-loop swimming characteristics; 2) autonomous behaviors using a pressure sensor and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to achieve controlled swimming of prescribed trajectories; 3) feedback from an optic sensor to enable homing to a light source. The robot is designed to form the basis for underwater swarm robotics testbeds, where low cost and ease of manufacture are critical, and three-dimensional (3-D) maneuverability allows testing complex coordination inspired by natural fish schools. Individually, miniature and low-cost underwater robots can also provide a platform for the study of 3-D autonomy and marine vehicle dynamics in educational and resource-constrained settings.
KW - Biologically-inspired robots
KW - marine robotics
KW - swarms
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U2 - 10.1109/LRA.2017.2734969
DO - 10.1109/LRA.2017.2734969
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85063306113
SN - 2377-3766
VL - 3
SP - 140
EP - 147
JO - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
JF - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
IS - 1
M1 - 8000334
ER -