BioInspired! So What? Now What!

This webinar will be held frfom 12:00-13:00 CDT

Abstract--A biomimetic robot inspired by Cyanea capillata (jellyfish), termed as “Cyro”, was developed to meet the functional demands of underwater surveillance in defense and civilian applications.  The swimming kinematics of the C. capillata were analyzed after extracting the required kinematics from the in situ video.  A discrete model of the exumbrella was developed and used to analyze the kinematics. Cyro was designed to mimic the morphology and swimming mechanism of the natural counterpart.  The body of the vehicle consists of a rigid support structure with linear DC motors which actuate eight mechanical arms.  The mechanical arms in conjunction with artificial mesoglea create the hydrodynamic force required for propulsion.

Jellyfish characteristics were modeled in several dimensions, including mechanical arm kinematics, bell kinematics, feeding structures, and types of movement.  These models were used to develop a underwater robot, named Robojelly, that emulated the various swimming and other behavioral characteristics of jellyfish.  Performance was examined as a function of varying several types of characteristics, e.g., whether and how the arms 'flapped,' and swimming at different velocities.

The presentation will discuss the development process, the Robojelly architecture and systems, results achieved, potential future research dimensions, and possible implications for future underwater vehicles.

Thanks to Curt McNamara for the pointer!