Development of Propulsion Mechanism of Fish-type Robot Inspired by Eagle Ray

Abstract

In recent years, biomimetic robotic fish has attracted attention to investigate underwater organisms and the environment, as it poses little threat to underwater lives. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a new type of fish robot inspired by eagle rays that swim efficiently using pectoral fins. We first observed the swimming movements of cow nose rays and extracted the characteristics of swimming by pectoral fins. Then, we developed a wire-driven flapping mechanism, covered with soft skin, mimicking the flexible structure of the pectoral fin of rays. In the experiment, we evaluated the performance in straight and circular swimming to examine if the robot has the potential to mimic ray-like swimming.