Learning agility for single and multiple swimming robots via bioinspired proprioception
Abstract
This proposal is based on the idea that bioinspired swimming robots should possess a physical/mechanical architecture that can be useful to harness hydrodynamic forces for propulsion, agility and simultaneously enhance the sensing ability of the robot. In particular the proposal will investigate an architecture consisting of a combination of active and passive degree of freedom(PDOF). The passive (unactuated) degrees of freedom can respond to hydrodynamic forces and transfer momentum in advantageous ways. Simultaneously the kinematics of PDOF are a source of proprioceptive information about the ambient flow as well as other objects such as predators orprey or obstacles that create the ambient flow patterns.The proposed technical approach is based on entirely using onboard data from a swimming robot, such as that from pressure sensors and IMUs to achieve improved sensing and agility for single and coordinated motion of multiple robots. The project uses machine learning to construct sparserepresentations of fluid velocity field in simulations and then project them on a lower dimensional space of onboard measurements. These computations in combination with simplified theoretical models and experiments in a water tunnel, lead to an ability to classify and label ambient fluid flow features and unknown bodies that generate such flows. The novel aspect of the proposal isthe use of passive degrees of freedom (PDOF) as a means of obtaining additional sensory information as well as to encode preflexes that produce near zero time delay responses to different flows. Lastly the project proposes to use the architecture of learning and recognizing flow features through primarily kinematics of PDOF and other onboard data to communicate via hydrodynamicswith other swimming robots and for coordinated motion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 05, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112367
Entities
People
- Phanindra Tallapragada
Organizations
- Clemson University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy