MIT SoFi: A Study in Fabrication, Target Tracking, and Control of Soft Robotic Fish

Abstract

This thesis examines the continuation of the MIT SoFi project by exploring the development of a new fabrication process and implementation of a target tracking algorithm. A new fabrication process to increase the consistency and quality of silicone fish tails using advance silicone molding techniques was explored and included material selection, process redefinition, fabrication, and testing. Two different silicone materials were used and evaluated using video analysis in Logger Pro. A target tracking control algorithm using computer vision and a particle filter was deployed in simulation and tested using recorded data from real SoFi experiments. The hardware and software challenges will be discussed and the proposed solutions will be evaluated. The combination of a consistent fabrication procedure and increased target tracking capabilities opens the door to fabricate a school of SoFi's and carry out robotic swarm operations in the future.