Salp-Inspired Reconfigurable Robot Platform for Long-term Distributed Sensing
Abstract
Approved for Public ReleaseObjectives: Salps are considered some of the world s most efficient swimmers. These soft, centimeter-scal,e, tubular creatures use jet propulsion to transport themselves hundreds of meters per day and can be found in every one of the worl,d s oceans. Compared to other jet propelled sea creatures, salps demonstrate a unique locomotion strategy which consists of: 1) unid,irectional fluid flow through two orifices to create an efficient jet, and 2) clustering into colonies to reduce drag for group trav,el.Inspired by salp locomotion, we propose to develop a soft, modular, underwater robot platform for distributed sensing over long d,istances and time horizons. The project is a hardware and design focused project that will provide significant technological advanta,ges over existing rigid and soft underwater platforms. In particular, it will provide a lightweight, deployable design that unpacks,into a robot swarm with the ability to swim individually for wide-area coverage and also attach into chains for energy-efficient lon,g-distance travel.Approach: We will combine ideas from soft robotics, mechanics, materials, design, and control in pursuit of 4 main, research tasks: 1) Replicating salp s jet propulsion in an origami-inspired design, 2) Developing a compliant mechanism for attachi,ng and detaching robots into chains, 3) Analyzing the effects of communication and coordinated propulsion between robots, and 4) Qua,ntifying performance enhancements from this locomotion strategy. Each task will be approached using a combination of theory, simulat,ion, and physical prototyping.Outcomes: The main result of this project will be a novel underwater robotic platform with a cost of t,ransport under 1.0, suitable for long-term and long-distance sensing, monitoring, and exploration that can be deployed in an ocean-l,ike environment. Specific technological outcomes will include: 1) new approaches for design, actuation, fabrication, and control of,jet propelled swimmers; 2) new bistable mechanisms for low-energy attachment and detachment of underwatermodular robots; 3) new insi,ghts into the potential costs and benefits of coordinated group locomotion as opposed to multiple solitary swimmers; and 4) adaptati,on of underwater multi-robot networks based on locomotion and task requirements.Impact on DoD capabilities: Salp-inspired underwater, robots could potentially transform the energy landscape of underwater vehicles, increasing travel distance and mission duration. In, naval applications, lightweight, inexpensive salp-inspired robots could be deployed in swarms to remote locations, where they could, perform surveillance, reconnaissance, and exploration before grouping up and returning to their origin with no loss of hardware (tr,ansporting even dead robots). In surveying or disaster relief, the robots could spread out to detect important landmarks and then fo,rm chains to physically mark them or serve as communications channels. In science, the proposedrobot design excels at sample collect,ion since samples can be stored inside the body of a robot,which other robots can then attach to and transport for analysis. Finally,, parts of this project, particularly insights on the potential of uncoordinated multijet propulsion, will also have relevance to th,e navy, informing future propulsive designs for both autonomous and manned naval vehicles.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 06, 2022
- Source ID
- N000142312068
Entities
People
- Cynthia Sung
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Pennsylvania