Bionic Seal Whisker Triboelectric Sensor for Underwater Multiobject Wake Perception

Existing underwater flow field sensing techniques encounter significant challenges in complex and variable flow environments. Seals possess a highly sensitive whisker sensing system that enables them to perform tasks such as predation and environment sensing. Drawing inspiration from the hydrodynamic tactile function of seal whiskers, this paper introduces a bionic whisker triboelectric sensor (BWTS) that integrates whisker-based sensing mechanisms with triboelectric nanogenerator technology. The BWTS features a wavy bionic whisker and a flexible bionic follicle structure embedded with four sensing units. It is verified through simulation and experimental analysis that the BWTS can effectively capture the wake field characteristics of stationary and moving underwater objects under different flow field parameters. The BWTS demonstrates high reliability, achieving correlation coefficients of 0.98–0.99 for the geometrical and kinematic parameters of underwater objects. The error is less than 10%. Additionally, its strong directional recognition and flow field feature sensing capabilities have been validated. As a non-contact underwater flow field sensing technology, BWTS will provide an innovative approach to enhance the sensing capability of underwater vehicles.