Design and Control of a Two-Motor-Actuated Tuna-Inspired Robot System

This article presents the mechanical design and locomotion control of a novel tuna-inspired robot system for both fast swimming and high maneuverability. Mechanically, the developed robotic fish named CasiTuna comprises three important parts, i.e., an innovative two-motor-actuated propulsive mechanism, a buoyancy adjustment structure, and a pair of pectoral fins. Unlike most robotic fishes' multiple concatenated links-based propulsive mechanism, CasiTuna's two-motor-actuated one places both motors in the anterior body and utilizes a transmission system to achieve tuna-like lateral undulations. Meanwhile, the buoyancy adjustment mechanism in conjunction with pectoral fins endows the robot with the capability of three-dimensional maneuverability. Kinematic and dynamic analyses are further conducted to reveal the interactive hydrodynamic forces. Regarding the locomotion control method, a bio-inspired central pattern generator-based controller is adopted to achieve multimodal swimming. In particular, two kinds of turning maneuvers are implemented and discussed. Aquatic experiments, including straight swimming, circular turning, and nearly static pitching validate the effectiveness of proposed mechatronic design and locomotion control methods. Remarkably, CasiTuna achieved a peak forward speed of 0.8 m/s (corresponding to 1.52 body lengths per second) and a minimum turning radius of less than 0.3 body lengths.