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ROBOTIC FISH OF ALL SPECIES
The Fish interest researchers for their efficiency and their maneuverability :
- efficiency: to swim, the fish deform their body, which creates swirls around this one. It is while being pressed on these vortices that the fish are capable of fulgurating accelerations.
- maneuverability: a fish can make half-turn on 1/10e its length, without losing speed, whereas a submarine needs 10 times its length by slowing down half to make the same thing.
The tuna is known for its speed, the pike for its accelerations and the eel for its way of threading everywhere. A carp can make half-turn in one half-second.
To imitate all these behaviors with robotized systems is a real challenge and requires to better know biomechanics of the stroke and the hydrodynamic characteristics of fish. The researchers try to take as a starting point these faculties to improve the performances of underwater vehicles autonomous by using new forms of propulsion. The propulsion by undulation is more effective than the usual propulsion by propeller. The propellers are actuated by electric motors and have poor yield. Moreover, these engines need batteries which take a very important place in a vehicle.
These robot-fish could (or are already) be used in fields like the oceanographical observation, leak the detection on pipelines, the search for mines, underwater archaeological exploration…
There are many research which tries to include/understand and reproduce the habilities of fish with robotized systems. To learn more click on "ROBOTS".
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