Poly-Saora robotic jellyfish: swimming underwater by twisted and coiled polymer actuators
Autor: | Yara Almubarak, Yash Mahendra Rupawat, Jeremy Warren, Armita Hamidi, Yonas Tadesse |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
Jellyfish
Computer science Acoustics 02 engineering and technology 01 natural sciences Chrysaora achlyos biology.animal 0103 physical sciences General Materials Science Electrical and Electronic Engineering Underwater Civil and Structural Engineering 010302 applied physics chemistry.chemical_classification biology Polymer 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Condensed Matter Physics biology.organism_classification Atomic and Molecular Physics and Optics Mechanism (engineering) chemistry Mechanics of Materials Signal Processing Robot Flapping 0210 nano-technology Actuator |
Zdroj: | Smart Materials and Structures. 29:045039 |
ISSN: | 1361-665X 0964-1726 |
DOI: | 10.1088/1361-665x/ab7738 |
Popis: | Jellyfish are energy-efficient swimmers due to the muscle-powered flapping of their soft bell that facilitates a unique energy recapture mechanism. In this paper, we present a bio-inspired jellyfish robot named Poly-Saora that mimics the swimming behavior of the jellyfish species Black sea nettle (Chrysaora achlyos). An assembly-based fabrication method is used to create the Poly-Saora that is developed mainly with polymeric materials (95% of the robot by volume). Twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) actuators are successfully implemented in this robot and show great potential for underwater applications. The influence of different parameters such as the amplitude of the input power, the actuation frequency, and the lifecycle of the actuator are investigated underwater. A full characterization of 6-ply TCP muscles is demonstrated. An actuation strain of ~10 % is achieved in water at a frequency of 0.1Hz and 50 kPa load. When integrated into the jellyfish, the TCP was able to bend a single bell by 17˚. Poly-Saora was able to swim a vertical distance of 180 mm in 220 s with four TCP actuators each confined in a separate conduit. The robot mimics the swimming behavior of a real jellyfish by contracting the bell segments through the activation of the actuators, which generates forced water circulation under the bell in a pulsating rhythm, consequently creating a vertical movement of the robot. Overall, Poly-Saora is presenting a model of an underwater system that is driven by stimuli-responsive polymer materials and has unique advantages over conventional rigid robots due to their lightweight, muscle-like structures, silent actuation and ease of manufacturing. This robot can be used for safe interaction with other underwater species and their natural habitats when fully developed. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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