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Bioinspired Fish Propulsion for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles: A Novel Movement and Design Algorithm Using Constraint-Guided Models to Predict Kinematic Gait Outcomes

JSHS · 2023

Brian Zhou, Jason Geder · Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA

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Overview

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) require greater maneuverability and propulsive efficiency to meet the design requirements for an expanding envelope of operations such as researching vast unexplored depths or military surveillance in ports and vessel tracking. A potential solution to these growing needs lies in biomimicry, a field that has garnered attention from researchers who believe that the biological designs of marine animals, who swim with high propulsive efficiency and maneuverability, offer tremendous potential for improving the efficiency of UUV designs. Fish pectoral fins have emerged as a frontrunner in research due to the agility they enable over traditional systems. Previous studies have explored ways to replicate fish fins in robotic design, and led to optimizations for fin structure, thrust generation, and material choices, but there is little known work done on optimizing power consumption and, consequently, efficiency. T o resolve this gap in the literature, this study developed a non-dimensional figure of merit (FOM), derived from measures of propulsive efficiency, allowing researchers to evaluate the efficiency of different fin designs and movements, and allow for comparison with other bio-inspired platforms. My research resulted in the creation of practical computational ML models constrained by system power and time to output the most efficient move and predict thrust and power under different fin operating states, providing efficiency profiles for movements and designs with 0.09% average error. The newly developed FOM was utilized to analyze optimal gaits and compare the performance between different fin materials, recommending materials and gait patterns for further study. HAWAII AND PACIFIC

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Competition history

  • JSHS 2023 Category not listed

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Source: Junior Science and Humanities Symposium

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