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Mechanics and Bio-Inspired Robotics of Fish Locomotion

About

Knifefish are highly maneuverable swimmers capable of navigating complex environments. The fish generate thrust by undulating an elongated ventral fin. We study the fin mechanics using motion capture of live fish, computational fluid dynamics, and bio-inspired robotics. Using these tools, we are uncovering the underlying principles of knifefish locomotion which can then be implemented into underwater robotics to enhance maneuverability.

Forward and backward traveling waves along the ribbon fin of the black ghost electric knifefish.

The knifefish inspired GhostBot. We've built one of the most advanced fish robots in the world, with 34 degrees of freedom (the humanoid robot ASIMO has 26; the Roomba floor vacuum robot has 2), in order to better understand knifefish mechanics and sensorimotor coupling. This video is the first where we discovered that inward counter-propagating waves generate a strong downward jet, producing vertical thrust. This is a key element of knifefish maneuverability. The water is seeded with reflective particles for subsequent particle imaging velocimetry. 

In this video, Ghostbot demonstrates 'nodal point control' in which a closed-loop positioning algorithm shifts the point at which inward counter-propagating waves meet in order to control position. 

We perform 3D Navier-Stokes simulations of fish and robot locomotion. Shown here is forward swimming followed by a rapid reversal, similar to what we discovered the real fish uses for hunting prey.

People

Malcolm A. MacIver
Izaak Neveln
Rahul Bale
Oscar M. Curet
Anup Shirgaonkar
Chen Chen

Collaborators 

Professor Neelesh Patankar - Computational and Theoretical Fluid Dynamics - Northwestern University
Professor George Lauder - Lauder Laboratory - Harvard University
Professor Noah Cowan - Locomotion in Mechanical and Biological Systems (LIMBS) - Johns Hopkins University 

Related Publications

G. Mamakoukas, M. A. MacIver, and T. D. Murphey, Feedback Synthesis for Controllable Underactuated Systems using Sequential Second Order Actions, Robotics Science and Systems, 2017 Google Scholar PDF Video

G. Mamakoukas, M. A. MacIver, and T. D. Murphey, Sequential Action Control for Models of Underactuated Underwater Vehicles in a Planar Ideal Fluid, American Control Conference (ACC), Boston, MA, pp. 4500-4506, 07/2016/ 2016 Google Scholar PDF

R. Bale, I. D. Neveln, A. P. S. Bhalla, M. A. MacIver, and N. A. Patankar, Convergent evolution of mechanically optimal locomotion in aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, Google Patents, PLOS Biology, vol. 13, no. 4, 04/2015/ 2015 DOI Google Scholar PDF

R. Bale, A. A. Shirgaonkar, I. D. Neveln, A. P. S. Bhalla, M. A. MacIver, and N. A. Patankar, Separability of drag and thrust in undulatory animals and machines, Sci. Rep., vol. 4, 12/ 2014 Google Scholar PDF PDF

I. D. Neveln, R. Bale, A. P. S. Bhalla, O. M. Curet, N. A. Patankar, and M. A. MacIver, Undulating fins produce off-axis thrust and flow structures, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 217, pp. 201-213, 2014 DOI Google Scholar PDF

I. D. Neveln, Y. Bai, J. B. Snyder, J. R. Solberg, O. M. Curet, K. M. Lynch, and M. A. MacIver, Biomimetic and bio-inspired robotics in electric fish research, Journal of Experimental Biology, no. 216, pp. 2501-2514, 06/2013/ 2013 DOI Google Scholar PDF

R. Ruiz-Torres, O. M. Curet, G. V. Lauder, and M. A. MacIver, Kinematics of the ribbon fin in hovering and swimming of the electric ghost knifefish, The Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 216, pp. 823-834, 2013 Google Scholar PDF PDF

S. Sefati, I. D. Neveln, E. Roth, T. Mitchell, J. B. Snyder, M. A. MacIver, E. S. Fortune, and N. J. Cowan, Mutually opposing forces during locomotion can eliminate the tradeoff between maneuverability and stability, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013 Google Scholar PDF

O. M. Curet, N. A. Patankar, G. V. Lauder, and M. A. MacIver, Mechanical properties of a bio-inspired robotic knifefish with an undulatory propulsor, Bioinspiration \& Biomimetics, vol. 6, IOP Publishing, pp. 026004, 2011 Google Scholar

O. M. Curet, N. A. Patankar, G. V. Lauder, and M. A. MacIver, Aquatic manoeuvering with counter-propagating waves a novel locomotive strategy, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, vol. 8, The Royal Society, pp. 1041-1050, 2011 Google Scholar

O. M. Curet, I. K. AlAli, M. A. MacIver, and N. A. Patankar, A versatile implicit iterative approach for fully resolved simulation of self-propulsion, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, vol. 199, Elsevier, pp. 2417-2424, 2010 Google Scholar

C. M. Postlethwaite, T. M. Psemeneki, J. Selimkhanov, M. Silber, and M. A. MacIver, Optimal movement in the prey strikes of weakly electric fish a case study of the interplay of body plan and movement capability, Journal of The Royal Society Interface, vol. 6, The Royal Society, pp. 417-433, 2009 Google Scholar

A. A. Shirgaonkar, M. A. MacIver, and N. A. Patankar, A new mathematical formulation and fast algorithm for fully resolved simulation of self-propulsion, Journal of Computational Physics, vol. 228, Elsevier, pp. 2366-2390, 2009 Google Scholar

A. A. Shirgaonkar, O. M. Curet, N. A. Patankar, and M. A. MacIver, The hydrodynamics of ribbon-fin propulsion during impulsive motion, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 211, The Company of Biologists Ltd, pp. 3490-3503, 2008 Google Scholar

M. Epstein, J. E. Colgate, and M. A. MacIver, Generating thrust with a biologically-inspired robotic ribbon fin, Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2006 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on, IEEE, pp. 2412-2417, 2006 Google Scholar

M. A. MacIver, E. Fontaine, and J. Burdick, Designing future underwater vehicles principles and mechanisms of the weakly electric fish, Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Journal of, vol. 29, IEEE, pp. 651-659, 2004 Google Scholar

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