A Modular Soft Swimming Robot to Teach the Concepts of Bio-Inspired Propulsion

Abstract The relationships governing the kinematics of undulatory swimming are extensively studied, but not well-communicated to the general public and students. This study develops a soft modular bio-inspired undulatory propulsor as a tool for teaching the effects of various design parameters on the kinematics of an undulatory swimmer. The propulsor is designed with interchangeable modules to allow for the control of certain design parameters, including body stiffness, tail length, and actuator position on the body. Through the measurement of a freely-swimming propulsor’s average velocity with different body thicknesses, the effects of bending stiffness on the average velocity of the propulsor are observed, and the process for a student to replicate these observations is demonstrated. The efficacy of the propulsor as an educational tool is then evaluated through comparison of the observed relationship with existing results from studies on undulatory propulsion, and this relationship is explained in the context of the governing kinetics and kinematics.