An Untethered Bioinspired Robotic Tensegrity Dolphin with Multi-Flexibility Design for Aquatic Locomotion
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This paper presents the first steps toward a soft dolphin robot using a bio-inspired approach to mimic dolphin flexibility. The current dolphin robot uses a minimalist approach, with only two actuated cable-driven degrees of freedom actuated by a pair of motors. The actuated tail moves up and down in a swimming motion, but this first proof of concept does not permit controlled turns of the robot. While existing robotic dolphins typically use revolute joints to articulate rigid bodies, our design – which will be made opensource – incorporates a flexible tail with tunable silicone skin and actuation flexibility via a cable-driven system, which mimics muscle dynamics and design flexibility with a tunable skeleton structure. The design is also tunable since the backbone can be easily printed in various geometries. The paper provides insights into how a few such variations affect robot motion and efficiency, measured by speed and cost of transport (COT). This approach demonstrates the potential of achieving dolphin-like motion through enhanced flexibility in bio-inspired robotics.
Authors: Luyang Zhao, Yitao Jiang, Chun-Yi She, Mingi Jeong, Haibo Dong, Alberto Quattrini Li, Muhao Chen, Devin Balkcom
Institutions: Dartmouth College, University of Virginia, University of Kentucky
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4411019178