A framework for design, modeling, and identification of compliant biomimetic swimmers

Abstract

Research interests in fish-like devices are generally driven by the notion that through eons of evolution fish have developed optimal mechanisms for efficient propulsion and high degrees of maneuverability. Engineered fish-like devices have been developed in hope of mimicking the capabilities of their biological counterparts, but success has been marginal. This thesis considers a unique class of underactuated biomimetic swimmers with compliant bodies that swim by exploiting their structural dynamics. Practical matters surrounding the design and modeling of these swimmers are addressed and explicit references are made to fish morphology and swimming behaviours with the aim of linking biological and engineering design elements, a deficiency in existing literature. A hybrid modeling scheme is presented drawing upon conventional engineering primitives and experimental data. Both a hardware prototype swimmer and a unique motion capture system were developed to demonstrate the described methods. Experimental and simulated results are compared.