Design of an actuation mechanism for compliant-body biomimetic robots

Abstract

In this thesis, I designed and simulated an actuator mechanism for generating a moment within a compliant (soft) body system. The moment produces vibrational waves throughout a compliant material, and these vibrations are utilized to create biomimetic locomotion. The prototype actuator was developed for use in a fish tail, but it is hope that the actuation system can be applied in other robotic structures. The primary goals of this project included making gains in energy efficiency over previous embodiments, creating a compliant actuator that does not interfere with the natural body vibrations, and creating a system that can easily be modified to be used in a wide variety of soft-bodied systems. The system is also scalable to the size of the structure being actuated.