Highly Maneu
281
Part B | 11.1
11. Highly Maneuverable Biorobotic
Underwater Vehicles
Promode R. Bandyopadhyay
After receiving only a trickle of interest over the
past 50 years or so, biolocomotion has more
recently attracted broader attention. In this
chapter, biology-inspired highly maneuverable
underwater vehicles (of 1 m length scale) that
have achieved some degree of maturity are reviewed. Primarily, the Naval Undersea Warfare
Center (NUWC) works are described. The nonlinear
theoretical foundation of animal-inspired hydrodynamics and control is summarized. Low-speed
propulsion (including hovering and maneuvering), control, and integration with sensors are
considered. High-lift flapping-fin propulsion
technology, cycle-averaged and olivo-cerebellar
temporal control, integration with interaural timedifferencing bio-sonar, and basin demonstration
of utility are discussed. While numerous variables affect the mechanisms and integration of
actuators, controllers, and sensors, the principles of self-regulating nonlinear dynamics provide
a common and simplifying framework for the
development of biorobotic vehicles. The salient
features of these vehicles and their control design
laws are tabulated. These emergent, low-speed
platforms complement existing higher speed naval
capabilities and are not substitutes for any existing
mature system; in this sense, their utility depends
on the imaginative nature of future operation concepts – a process that is unpredictable. The greater
potential of the biorobotics approach is limited by
a serious lack of progress in so-called strong artificial muscle technology, as well as by a lack of
understanding of nonlinear temporal control and
11.1 Biorobotics . ......................................... 281
11.1.1 Flapping Fin Propulsion
Technology ............................... 284
11.2 Theoretical Foundation
of Animal-Inspired Hydrodynamics
and Control ......................................... 286
11.2.1 Hydrodynamics ......................... 286
11.2.2 Animal-Like Motion Control Laws
and the Principles
of Integrated Design .................. 287
11.3 Description of Biology-Inspired Vehicles
of Emergent Maturity ........................... 289
11.4 Reliability, Low Power Consumption,
and Disturbance Rejection
of Bio-Inspired Propulsion ................... 296
11.5 Demonstrated Maneuverings
of NUWC Bio-Inspired Vehicles .............. 296
11.5.1 BAUV ........................................ 296
11.5.2 SPLINE ...................................... 297
11.5.3 RAZOR....................................... 297
11.6 Discussion ........................................... 297
11.7 Concluding Remarks ............................ 298
11.8 Nomenclature...................................... 298
References................................................... 299
sensing and how they should be integrated. Application to utility has been facilitated where
understanding of the underlying science has been
mathematically formulated, and such formulation
needs to be more widely emulated.
11.1 Biorobotics
The 1934 work of Karman and Burgers [11.1] laid the
early theoretical foundation of biorobotics, followed in
1975 by Lighthill and others [11.2], who established
a broader foundation. Karman and Burgers give the key
insight into the hydrodynamic mechanism of biolocomotion [11.2, Fig. 8], which states that in a swimming
fish, caudal fins need to flap just enough to produce
vortex wakes to give rise to a thrust jet, and the Karman vortex street is present in reverse. However, energy
is not wasted in excessive flapping in making the vortex wake and yet the jet cross-section is large, whereby
good efficiency is achieved [11.2, p. 30].
281
Part B | 11.1
11. Highly Maneuverable Biorobotic
Underwater Vehicles
Promode R. Bandyopadhyay
After receiving only a trickle of interest over the
past 50 years or so, biolocomotion has more
recently attracted broader attention. In this
chapter, biology-inspired highly maneuverable
underwater vehicles (of 1 m length scale) that
have achieved some degree of maturity are reviewed. Primarily, the Naval Undersea Warfare
Center (NUWC) works are described. The nonlinear
theoretical foundation of animal-inspired hydrodynamics and control is summarized. Low-speed
propulsion (including hovering and maneuvering), control, and integration with sensors are
considered. High-lift flapping-fin propulsion
technology, cycle-averaged and olivo-cerebellar
temporal control, integration with interaural timedifferencing bio-sonar, and basin demonstration
of utility are discussed. While numerous variables affect the mechanisms and integration of
actuators, controllers, and sensors, the principles of self-regulating nonlinear dynamics provide
a common and simplifying framework for the
development of biorobotic vehicles. The salient
features of these vehicles and their control design
laws are tabulated. These emergent, low-speed
platforms complement existing higher speed naval
capabilities and are not substitutes for any existing
mature system; in this sense, their utility depends
on the imaginative nature of future operation concepts – a process that is unpredictable. The greater
potential of the biorobotics approach is limited by
a serious lack of progress in so-called strong artificial muscle technology, as well as by a lack of
understanding of nonlinear temporal control and
11.1 Biorobotics . ......................................... 281
11.1.1 Flapping Fin Propulsion
Technology ............................... 284
11.2 Theoretical Foundation
of Animal-Inspired Hydrodynamics
and Control ......................................... 286
11.2.1 Hydrodynamics ......................... 286
11.2.2 Animal-Like Motion Control Laws
and the Principles
of Integrated Design .................. 287
11.3 Description of Biology-Inspired Vehicles
of Emergent Maturity ........................... 289
11.4 Reliability, Low Power Consumption,
and Disturbance Rejection
of Bio-Inspired Propulsion ................... 296
11.5 Demonstrated Maneuverings
of NUWC Bio-Inspired Vehicles .............. 296
11.5.1 BAUV ........................................ 296
11.5.2 SPLINE ...................................... 297
11.5.3 RAZOR....................................... 297
11.6 Discussion ........................................... 297
11.7 Concluding Remarks ............................ 298
11.8 Nomenclature...................................... 298
References................................................... 299
sensing and how they should be integrated. Application to utility has been facilitated where
understanding of the underlying science has been
mathematically formulated, and such formulation
needs to be more widely emulated.
11.1 Biorobotics
The 1934 work of Karman and Burgers [11.1] laid the
early theoretical foundation of biorobotics, followed in
1975 by Lighthill and others [11.2], who established
a broader foundation. Karman and Burgers give the key
insight into the hydrodynamic mechanism of biolocomotion [11.2, Fig. 8], which states that in a swimming
fish, caudal fins need to flap just enough to produce
vortex wakes to give rise to a thrust jet, and the Karman vortex street is present in reverse. However, energy
is not wasted in excessive flapping in making the vortex wake and yet the jet cross-section is large, whereby
good efficiency is achieved [11.2, p. 30].