An Underwater Glider with Muscle—Actuated Buoyancy Control and Caudal Fin Turning

Wang，Biao1,2,3; Chen，Yishan1,2,3; Wu，Yige1,2,3; Lin，Yi1,2,3; Peng，Sijie1,2,3; Liu，Xiaohan1,2,3; Wu，Shijian1,2,3; Liu，Sicong1,2,3; Yi，Juan1,2,3; Polygerinos，Panagiotis4; Wang，Zheng1,2,3,5

2022-05-01

10.3390/machines10050381

Machines   影响因子和分区

2075-1702

Underwater robotic gliders exploit gravity and buoyancy for long-distance cruising with ultra-low energy consumptions, making them ideal for open ocean surveying operations. However, the gliding-based motion generation principle also prevents their maneuverability, limiting their use in the short distances that are usually encountered in harbors or coastal scenarios. In this work, an innovative underwater glider robot is developed, enabling maneuverability through the introduction of an efficiently actuated caudal fin with bidirectional turning capabilities. In addition, modular actuator units, based on soft actuated materials, are integrated to control pitch angle by dynamically shifting the center of mass from the center of buoyancy. As a result, the high energy efficiency feature of the gliders is maintained, while high maneuverability is also achieved. The design concept, modeling of key components, and framework for control are presented, with the prototyped glider tested in a series of bench and field trials for validation of its motion performance.

modularized design soft muscle actuation underwater glider

SCI

英语

第一 ; 通讯

National Natural Science Foundation of China[51975268];National Natural Science Foundation of China[52015021];

Engineering

Engineering, Electrical & Electronic ; Engineering, Mechanical

WOS:000802352700001

MDPI

2-s2.0-85130706027

Scopus

1.Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robotics and Intelligent Systems,Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518000,China
2.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Augmentation and Rehabilitation Robotics in Universities,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518000,China
3.Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518000,China
4.Control Systems and Robotics Laboratory (CSRL),Department of Mechanical Engineering,Hellenic Mediterranean University,Crete,71410,Greece
5.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou),Guangzhou,511458,China

Wang，Biao,Chen，Yishan,Wu，Yige,等. An Underwater Glider with Muscle—Actuated Buoyancy Control and Caudal Fin Turning[J]. Machines,2022,10(5).

Wang，Biao.,Chen，Yishan.,Wu，Yige.,Lin，Yi.,Peng，Sijie.,...&Wang，Zheng.(2022).An Underwater Glider with Muscle—Actuated Buoyancy Control and Caudal Fin Turning.Machines,10(5).

Wang，Biao,et al."An Underwater Glider with Muscle—Actuated Buoyancy Control and Caudal Fin Turning".Machines 10.5(2022).