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Journal of Modern Mechanical Enginee ring and Technology, 2021, 8, 57-65 57
E-ISSN: 2409-9848/21 © 2021 Zeal Press
Design and Control Strategy of Bio-inspired Underwater Vehicle
with Flexible Propulsor
Santanu Mitra1,*, Vaibhav Sehgal1, Shubham Rathore2, Raghav Puri1, Shivani Chouhan2
and Aditya Sharma1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, India - 201314
2Department of Electrical Engineering, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, India – 201314
Abstract: Biomimetics aims to take inspiration from nature and develop new models and efficient systems for a
sustainable future. Bioinspired underwater robotics help develop future submarines that will navigate through the water
using flex ible propulsor. This research has focused on the Manta Ray species as batoid has a unique advantage over
other species. This study also aims to improve AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) efficiency through biomimetic
design, the purpose of which is to observe and study the mar ine e nviron ment, be it for sea exp loration or navigation. The
design and pr ototyping process of bioinspired AUVs hav e been mentioned in this study, along with testing a propulsive
mechanism for efficient swimming and turning cap abilities. The Robot was designed taking structural considerations
from the actual Manta-Ray locomotion and body design. The propulsion mechanism and control circuit were then
implemented on the developed systems. The prototype of the Manta Ray was able to generate a realistic swimming
pattern and was tested in an acrylic tank. The exp eriment al results obtained in the tank basin are very close to the
results we observe in the real -world scenario in terms of the vehicle's forward and turning motion.
Keywords: Autonomous underwater vehicle, Biomimetic robotics, Maneuverability, Manta ray, Flexible propulsor.
Exploration of the oceans is a challenging task,
requiring specialized technology. One such technology
is AUVs, or Autonomous Underwater Vehicles which
are robotic vehicles that, depending on their design,
can drift, drive, or glide through the ocean environment
without real-time control by human operators. While
conventional AUV’s are widely available, they generally
are not able to travel large distances efficiently. Much
of current technology draws inspiration from nature so
that we can approach towards a sustainable future.
Mimicking biology, especially in the case of animals, is
beneficial, particularly in the cases where the animal
performs better than existing technology. Batoid fishes
(e.g., Manta rays) are highly efficient swimmers,
combining extreme strength and incredible
maneuverability. Replicating these unique properties in
synthetic autonomous underwater vehicles would have
tremendous implications. The flapping motion of Manta
ray is considered to be energy efficient as the
propulsion involves lower fluid related energy losses.
Its gliding motion would be highly significant in energy
saving. An important design consideration for a
biomimetic AUV is the propulsion mechanism's design,
shape, location on the machine, movement patterns,
and mechanical and material properties (e.g., inertia
and stiffness). The overall shape of the robot is another
important consideration. As fish are impressive
*Address correspondence to this au thor at Department of Mechanica l
Engineerin g, Shiv Nadar U nivers ity, Delh i-NCR, India – 201314;
Tel: +91-120-2662002; E-mail: santanu.mitra@snu.edu.in
swimmers in many ways, it is hoped that biomimetic
robots that swim like a fish might be superior to
submarines, using propellers. The first experimental
undulating-fin device was reported in 2001 [1]. The
research group found a very interesting fact about the
batoids locomotion mode that allowed them to move
forward and backward. A mathematical analysis and a
prototype proved their ability to generate reversible
thrust. Later at University of British Columbia, a
research group in 2002 was the first to build a
biomimetic robot based on a batoid fish, a
Gymnuramicrura[2]. The actuation was given by the
use of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA), A shape - memory
alloy is an alloy that "remembers" its original shape and
that when deformed returns to its pre-deformed shape
when heated. It was not able to propel itself in water,
the robo-ray could emulate both undulatory and
oscillatory locomotion strategies. Some robots were
manufactured trying diverse technologies to actuate the
wing [3]. The vortex flow pattern and high propulsive
efficiency of 89% were associated with Strouhal
numbers within the optimal range (0.2–0.4) for rays
swimming at routine and high speeds [4]. These fishes
are impressive swimmers in many ways, it is hoped
that biomimetic robots that swim like a fish might be
superior to submarines, using propellers. Analysis of
the swimming pattern of the manta species provides a
baseline for creating many bio-inspired underwater
vehicles, which is briefly discussed in this paper. The
first experimental undulating-fin device was reported in
2001 by Sfakiotakis [5]. The research group found a
58 Journal of Modern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 Mitra et al.
very interesting fact about the batoids locomotion mode
that allowed them to move forward and backward. It
was not able to propel itself in water, the robo-ray could
emulate both undulatory and oscillatory locomotion
strategies. Willy A. and K.H. Low developed stingray-
like robots, which exhibit undulation type motion [6]. In
order to create undulation motion, two flexible pectoral
fins were designed which were controlled separately by
using actuators and strategic control algorithms. For fin
actuation, ten servo motors were used along with a
crank mechanism at the end of each motor to replicate
the motion of ray’s fin. Two very interesting study were
carried out in 2007 and 2009 on BHRay-I [7] and
BHRay-II [8]. Researchers were developed underwater
robot by taking inspiration from Manta Ray’s oscillatory
motion of fins [7]. The pectoral fins were made of
carbon fibre pipe, a silicone rubber board and
reinforcing aluminium controlled using servo motors [8].
Flexible silicone rubber passively generates phase
difference, which is critical for an efficient thrust
production in fins. In both the batoid robots (2005-
2009) wide fins do not allow the robot to pass through
narrow water areas. In 2010, The actuation was given
using Shape Memory Alloys (SMA), A shape - memory
alloy is an alloy that “remembers” its original shape and
that can be deformed when cold but returns to its pre-
deformed shape when heated [9]. In 2013, advanced
techniques were performed and the latest robot release
by a team lead by Hillary Bart-smith form the university
of Virginia was the manta Bot [10]. The study included
researchers from university of Virginia and three other
universities who worked on “reverse engineering” the
way stingrays and Manta rays move through water.
The vehicle has two arms controlled by servo motors
with 3D printed silicon body and various other sensors
integrated with raspberry pi for its motion [10]. Later, in
2014 cownose ray inspired fish robot was developed by
the robotics institute of Beijing university, Beijing, China
[11]. Cownose ray-inspired robotic fish which can be
propelled by oscillating and chord wise twisting pectoral
fins. The bionic pectoral fin can produce effective angle
of attack, and the thrust generated can propel robotic
fish effectively. The oscillating and pitching motion can
be obtained simultaneously by the active control of
chord wise twisting motion of the bionic pectoral fin,
which can better imitate the movement of cownose
ray’s pectoral fin [11]. Researchers from national
university of Singapore built manta droid, an
underwater robot that looks and swims like a Manta ray
fish, using only single motors and flexible fins to propel
through water in an uncanny manner using water like
its natural counterpart [12]. A soft-bodied robot that can
swim like a Manta ray has been created at China’s
Zhejiang university. With less than 20-centimetre
length, this robot can swim as fast as 6 cm/sec and has
been developed for information gathering in lakes and
oceans. These are made of soft silicon without any
motor. This artificial muscle contracts and relaxes when
external stimulation is applied. It contains two layers
and a conductive hydrogel in between them. When
voltage is applied, two dielectric films are to be
compressed to the centre. When released it gets back
to its original shape. They use their own conductive
properties to achieve one side of the charge.
Therefore, they can control the motion of the bot using
electrical impulses. This is an efficient method and very
nature inspired, although its applications are currently
limited and provides little range of motion [13]. Prof.
Fish has studied the design evolution of flexible and
tubercles in propulsor [14] and connect the thread with
development of efficient unmanned underwater
vehicles. Prof. Fish also jotted the limitations of
Biomimetics and showed the way to overcome them. A
simplified analytical model has been described by
Moored and his co-workers for the swimming motions
of batoid fishes [15]. He was able to quantify the
hydrodynamic perfor-mance of the batoid fish robot by
using artificial pectoral fin. For propelling the robot uses
tensegrity structures to propel himself with an
oscillating swimming style [15]. Moslemi and Krueger in
2010 studied the influence of the velocity program and
duty cycle on the propulsive efficiency using an
experimental approach [16]. In the previous year,
Murphy and his research group studied bioinspired
underwater vehicles and tried to improve the
capabilities [17]. Subsequently Lock et. al. have made
a great effort to understand the multimodal locomotion
of animal and tried to apply in the real world situation
[18]. Prof. Lauder and Tangorra have made significant
progress in actuating and controlling robotic fish by
integrating body and fin movements [19]. The next
follow-up study is designing and fabricating of an
ostraciiform swimming robot and its navigation and
control and guidance systems. The lead researcher
Costa D has compared with other biomimetic vahicles
and found that the strategic architecture has much
higher efficiencies [20]. Cui et al. have come up with
the techniques [21] to assess the unmeasured
velocities, unknown disturbances and uncertainty in
hydrodynamics using the strategic control design. In
2006 Mittal and his research group studied pectoral fin
hydrodynamics using CFD techniques. They have
found out wake vortices topologies and hydrodynamic
forces [22]. A very recent study [23] carried out the
Design and Control Strategy of Bio-inspired Underwater Vehicle Journal of Mod ern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 59
design and development of state-of-the-art Anguilliform
robot MAR with modular systems and driven by a
single, speed-controlled brushless DC motor to create
smooth forward thrust and maneuvering. Deway in
2013 studied underwater flight of Manta Ray as a part
of his doctoral research [24]. A research team pursued
another very relevant study at Worcester Polytechnique
Institute on Manta Ray Robot as a part of UG
dissertation in 2016 [25].
Brower 2006 studied the design of Manta ray-
inspired UUVs for long-range and low power operation
[26]. Wang, Yu and Zhang have evaluated
hydrodynamic performance parameters of bioinspired
Manta Ray robot and made significant progress in the
biomimetics domain [27]. A very interesting study by
Prof. Frank A Fish in 2009 described that artificial
systems should get inspiration from nature to make
them efficient and environmentally friendly [28]. He
primarily focused on whale flippers' tubercles, which is
a great source of inspiration to optimize hydrodynamics
of flexible propulsors. He further did in detailed study
on whale flippers and showed the potential of
application in the marine environment for propulsion
[28]. Bioinspired Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
(UUVs) are manufactured using diverse technologies to
actuate the wing [30]. For certain groups conductive
polymers, electroactive polymers (EAP), or Ionic
Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) played the role of the
muscles. Other groups chose an external actuation of
the wing with a rotational motor, planetary gear
mechanism and spherical joint to effectuate all pectoral
fin movements. However, the aim of all progress
exposed was to generate thrust in an efficient way, but
manoeuvrability and stability are a key factor in an
unmanned underwater vehicle which often operates
near the seabed.
In this paper, we will discuss the method of
actuation for the bioinspired UUV with improved
efficiency. A complex kinematics model is designed to
imitate the 3-dimensional wave function attaining
motion in both spanwise and chordwise direction of the
pectoral fins, further the efficiency is increased with
addition of tubercules which facilitates reduction in drag
force, with increase in stability and maneuverer
supported by the dorsal fin and the tail as shown in the
Figure 1.
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING
The design methodology used to develop the
present manta bot is presented in this section. Entire
CAD design of the Manta ray has been well outlined
using dimensionally accurate pictorial representations.
The design has been further divided into four major
parts, body to accommodate all the electronic
components, pectoral fins to provide forward or
upwards/downwards thrust, dorsal fin to increase the
lateral surface area for stability and tail to increase the
manoeuvrability.
A). Initial Design Considerations
The CAD model is shown in the Figure 2. Initially,
the size of the robot was roughly decided by matching
the accurate scale of the adult oceanic Manta ray, but it
was not an attainable goal since they generally
possess a 240-inch wingspan. Therefore, a small-scale
version with a wingspan of 16 inches was agreed upon
as a test case. By considering anatomical ratios shown
in Figure 3, the actuating motors, the bot's weight, and
a body length of 10 inch were decided. These
dimensions led to a rigid body structure that is
approximately 16 inches wide.
Figure 1: Design with different body parts.
60 Journal of Modern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 Mitra et al.
Figure 2: CAD model of the prototype on Solidworks.
The prototype was made based on the biological
morphology of the Manta ray. The Bot’s body and fins
are 3-D printed of different materials based on the
Manta ray's flexibility in this prototype. Fin being made
flexible to make the swimming better while the body is
made up of a PLA material to provide stiffness to the
body as all the electrical components are present
inside it. After the designing and printing of the body
and fins were done, the actuation process is then
implemented based on our observation of natural
species. For this purpose, an Arduino Mega 2560
microcontroller was used, actuating dc motors through
a H-bridge to provide them rotation in both directions
programmed to span around 180 degrees. The dc
motors used were having high torque to provide it
adequate thrust against the hydrodynamic drag force.
The design of the body is made much more
streamlined and hydrodynamic. To reduce drag force
we have included the hydrofoil shape in the body. Drag
force is generally due to contributions from fluid
pressure and tangential (viscous) stress acting on the
surface of the body. For streamlined bodies, pressure
drag is negligible compared to the skin friction drag.
The hydrofoil shape (long and thin with a rounded nose
and sharp trailing) is a remarkable geometry that
produces a large lift force and experiences
considerably low drag force. The innovative
hydrodynamic design of the prototype model, has
proper slots for fitting motors hence can generate thrust
and lift with minimum loss.
B). Actuation
Actuations of the fins are highly important for
strategic locomotion. The desired actuation was
derived based on the nature of the locomotion of actual
Manta rays. In order to achieve a similar magnitude of
fin oscillation, about 60 degrees would provide the
closest representation of the Manta’s motion. The
actuation of the bot underwater to shown below in
Figure 4. For the prototype model, 8 high torque servo
motors were incorporated for the actuation of the fin.
Due to its better and precise control servo motor was
preferred over DC motor in the final model. Several
forces act on an underwater vehicle the requires
consideration for better performances. Some of these
factors are mass, environment, overall pressure. When
a body moves underwater, both air and water apply
external pressure on it; hence, pressure is a significant
factor for underwater bots and cannot be ignored.
C). Byouncy of the Bot
In order to optimize the weight of the robot, several
parameters like density and strength of the materials,
thickness of the mechanical components are
considered. In this study, we strategically used PLA
(a) (b)
Figure 3: (a) 3-D printed model of prototype Manta ray’s body (b) Full assembly of the p rototype.
Design and Control Strategy of Bio-inspired Underwater Vehicle Journal of Mod ern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 61
(poly lactic acid) for the body due to its robust nature.
At the same time, Ninjaflex material has been used for
the fins due to its flexibility. The fin was made thin so it
could mimic the actual Manta Ray's movement and
reduce the mass of the robot as a whole. The new fin
length was 1.5mm, which is 1mm thin than the other
preliminary models due to which we were able to
increase the fin span of the robot keeping the mass of
the robot same. The size of the robot was made very
compact in order to reduce the mass of the bot
significantly. Environmental disturbances can affect the
motion and stability of a vehicle. This is particularly true
for an underwater vehicle where waves, currents and
even wind can perturb the vehicle. When the vehicle is
submerged, the effect of wind and waves can be
largely ignored. The most significant disturbances then
for underwater vehicles are currents. In a controlled
environment such as a pool, the effect of these
environmental forces is minimal. When considering
underwater bodies, it’s not just the water that puts
external pressure on the body but also the atmospheric
air that adds on to the weight of the body and pushes
the body further into the water. At sea level, pressure
due to air is 14.7 psi or 1 atm. For every 10m of depth,
pressure increases by about 1 atm and hence, the
absolute pressure at 10m underwater is 2 atm. The
increase in pressure as depth increases is significant,
and underwater vehicles must be structurally capable
of withstanding a relatively large amount of pressure to
survive. The electrical equipment will also be mounted
in the robot's body and the vehicle should be safe in
the marine env ironment in all aspects, so the design is
of utmost importance.
The prototype Bot’s body was designed to be
streamlined to reduce the drag force experienced
underwater as much as possible. Moreover, the fins
have a larger span to displace large volumes of water
while in motion. They were printed with lesser infill
using FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) having a
width of 1.5mm, enough to reduce the overall weight
and increase its flexibility. The body was carefully
designed to fit in the microcontroller, circuitry,
ultrasonic sensor for obstacle detection, camera
module, and eight servo motors. This design
methodology has the least volume possible and reduce
the overall mass. The connecting rods were linked to
the servo motors similarly to the prototype, creating a
much stronger and direct mechanical link with the fin.
Waterproofing is an essential objective to meet before
the vehicle hits the testing basin to avoid any damage
to the electrical components. Silicon sealant was used
to seal the top lid, the hole at the bottom passing wires
and any other open ends or holes which could cause
trouble.
The electrical components of the robot depend
heavily on requirements set by the other systems;
motor voltage, current draw, sensors necessary for an
intelligent control system, and size ,weight restrictions
all factors are considered in the selection of parts. In
order to mimic the undulating motion of the actual
Manta Ray servo motors were used mainly because of
their precise and controlled movements. On trial basis,
the motors' frequency was set such that it mimics the
undulating motion of the actual Manta Ray. Since, the
main aim of the bot is to do surveillance underwater, Pi
camera has been installed to do the task. To stay
protected while moving underwater, the bot has been
equipped with a waterproof ultrasonic sensor to avoid
any obstacle which comes in its way that might
damage the body of the bot.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Experimental Results
From the actuation video for the forward movement
of the developed vehicle, the following locomotion was
captured, showing the fins' sinusoidal motion, which
provides the robot the forward thrust.
Similarly, making certain iterations in the code
structure and synchronised fins is now actuated
oppositely, turning the bot in the left or right direction.
Figure 4: Sinusoidal actuation of the fins in underwater condition.
62 Journal of Modern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 Mitra et al.
Unsymmetric actuations of pectoral fins gives the
turning motion in the bot which is very intuitive and
proves capability of our robotic system.
Simulation Results
Refering to Figure 1, a CFD (Computational Fluid
Dynamics) Tool was used to do simulation on the robot
and its individual components to achieve the best
possible design through several iterations. CFD can
give some very important fluid parameters which help
us to design the vehicle and select appropriate motors.
During the analysis, the domain was considered as sea
water with the properties listed in Table 1. The Material
property selected for robot body are mentioned in
Table 2. The properties for material of Pectoral Fin,
Dorsal Fin and Tail are mentioned in Table 3.
Table 1: Water Domain (sea) PROPERTIES
Molar mass
18 kg/km ol
Density
1030 kg/ m3
Specific heat capacity
4180 Jkg- 1K-1
Reference temperature
15 ℃
Dynamic viscosity
0.0009 kgm- 1s- 1
Thermal Condu ctivity
0.6 Wm- 1k-1
Table 2: Manta Bot Body Material (PLA)
Density
1.24 g cm 3
Tensile strength
50 MPa
Young's Modulus
2315 MPa
Thermal Expansion Coefficient
1.23e-3 strain/℃
Softening Temperature
65 °C
Table 3: Pectoral Fin, Dorsal Fin and Tail Material
(TPE85A)
Density
0.84 g cm 3
Tensile strength
8 MPa
Flexural Modulus
0.03 GPa
Thermal Expansion Coefficient
15e-5strain/℃
Melting Temperature
210 °C
The manta bot design is analysed under static
condition and fluid flowing over the body / part in the
closed enclosure of water domain with a predefined
velocity of water field as 3.5 m/s and the pressure set
as 102KPa.The calculated velocity of 4.88cm/s has
been provided to the robot in an opposite direction to
the flow of water. A tetrahedral shaped mostly
dominated with trigonal meshes with medium
Figure 5: Turning of robot in the right direction based on unsymmetric actuation.
Design and Control Strategy of Bio-inspired Underwater Vehicle Journal of Mod ern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 63
smoothing over the cured surface with a coarse mesh
pattern was selected for optimized results as show in
Figure 6.
Having completed the simulation, the various
iterations were carried out to come up with an efficient
model. A laminar flow was observed under static
condition of the Manta bot with the velocities of the fluid
particles within the range from 1.513e-2 m/s to 4.922
m/s.
The next set of simulations are carried out for
tubercled fins inspired by a humpback whale. From
various iterations, the results of three fins, as shown in
Figure 7, have been discussed briefly to understand
the ideology behind the addition of tubercules. Keeping
in mind the objective of this paper, reduction in drag
and lift force is required for overall performance boost.
The drag force restricts the vehicle's forward motion,
decreasing the efficiency. While the lift force adds on
with the calculated buoyant force acting in the positive
Y Direction, requiring more thrust to dip and propel
under the water. To achieve a stable and efficient
movement, decreased drag and lift force are required.
On referring the comparison between the fins in Table
4, fin 3 was selected for optimized results.
Table 4: Comparison of Drag and Lift Force in Fins
Model
Drag
Lift
Fin 1
16.5552 N
6.8342784 N
Fin 2
18.033632 N
0.57202231 N
Fin 3
12.42 N
1.30 N
It is obvious from the simulation results that the fin 3
with tubercles offers less drag compared to smooth
fins. Consecutively, the lift force is also reducing, which
affects forward thrust. Another importnant feature is
that the developed robot that uses Ninjaflex and PLA is
naturally buoyant so we are not much focusing on lift
production but on forward thrust generation.
Figure 6: Manta Bot Meshing.
Figure 7: Fin 1(Left), Fin 2(Middle) and Fin 3(Right).
64 Journal of Modern Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 2021, Vol. 8 Mitra et al.
CONCLUSION
Taking inspiration from nature has been a part of
human life since ages. In this paper, a design as close
to the nature has been adopted with servo-driven
kinematics mechanism with use of flexible materials to
provide movements identical to muscles and natural
design of ray fishes. The authors were able to generate
forward thrust and turning motion of the underwater
vehicle inspired by Manta Ray. The bot underwater
despite being a little dense and heavy the body of the
bot is naturally buoyant and hence is floating just on
the water surface, mainly because of the wide span of
the fins which are displacing a lot of water. The bot is
able to generate enough thrust to successfully move
forward and can also turn in either directions (left and
right) underwater. In the simulation, additional
modifications have been made in fins to reduce the
drag force by up to 20%, increase the lateral thrust
force, increase stability, improve hydrofoil shape on
frontal and side impacts , and sharp manoeuvrability
was observed.
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Received on 27-09-2021 Accepted on 05-11-2021 Published on 07-12-2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31875/2409-9848.2021.08.7
© 2021 Mitra et al.; Zeal Press.
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