Learning to swim - Principles for the neural control and coordination of median fins and segmented bodies for effective swimming and maneuvering
Abstract
Research in biology, neuroscience, and bio-engineering has begun to clarify themechanics and control patterns used by fish for rectilinear swimming, but the control systems, kinematics and hydromechanics of fins during complex gaits and maneuvers are still unknown. The proposed research will investigate the neural control and coordination of median fin and axial body swimming and will study multi-fin gaits and force shaping as fish and biorobotic models swim steadily and conduct 3d yaw, roll, and pitch maneuvers. Specific aims of the workare: 1) To uncover sensorimotor principles by which fish control and modulate median fin and axial body movements; 2) To understand how fish use the median fins and their flexible body to execute yaw, roll, and pitch maneuvers, and how median fin motions are integrated with body movement; and 3) To develop a freely swimming vehicle that exploits biological principles of multi-fin gaits for high performance swimming and maneuvering. Robot-learning approacheswill be applied to freely swimming robots to learn how to adapt biological principles for effective, high DOF robotic gaits. The gait strategies that develop will be used to design controllers that will be informed by biologically evolved circuits. Evolved and designed networks will be examined together to explore fundamental features of such networks, alternative strategies for network architecture and implications for function. The principles that are distilled from these scientific and engineering efforts can be applied directly to the development unmanned, highly maneuverable, underwater vehicles. These systems will lead to effective, autonomous platforms that support core missions in ASW, MCM, and EOD and that expand the use of autonomous vehicles in the undersea battlespace.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 27, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812673
Entities
People
- James Tangorra
Organizations
- Drexel University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy