Fundamental Research in Underwater Locomotion and Distributed Coordination
Abstract
This work will conduct novel fundamental research to enable cooperative inspection and monitoring of underwater environments using novel soft and reconfigurable robots. To achieve this goal, we will focus on research areas in underwater locomotion and distributedcoordination. We envision a system of multiple heterogeneous soft robots, manufactured using state-of-the-art polymers, inspired bythe locomotion of the salp organism. Such robots have the potential to enable new missions in challenging environments, reduce the power consumption and communication requirements of inspection and monitoring tasks, and lead to highly survivable robots that can exist in the underwater environment for long periods of time without external support in difficult to access underwater environments (e.g. shipwrecks, underwater infrastructure, littoral environments, caves, and reefs). The proposed low-TRL work will provide proof-of-concept designs tested in simulation and in small water tanks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 06, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312171
Entities
People
- Geoffrey A. Hollinger
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Oregon State University
- United States Navy