Robotic Fish

Abstract

Based on our robotic fish studies since 2003, this paper introduces a FPGA offline control underwater searcher (FOCUS) and a bream robot equipped with advanced mechanism (BREAM). The performance of the first FOCUS prototype, built in 2011, is now being improved. FOCUS has 2 cameras and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) with high arithmetic processing capabilities. The appearance of the FOCUS is so cute. The two FOCUS types now available are an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). BREAM, in contrast, is an entertainment robot prototype designed for Asutamuland Tokushima exhibition. BREAM has four joints based on analytical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results showing that robotic fish with multiple joints achieve better propulsion performance than that with single joint. Two of the four joints are used for propulsion and two are used for turning the prototype. RC-FOCUS is also exhibited at Asutamuland Tokushima, together with BREAM.