A bio-inspired underwater glider with undulatory fin for long-duration, spatially explicit water column sampling

Abstract

This paper presents the design and experimental evaluation of a bio-inspired underwater glider with undulatory fin, which is highly maneuverable and energy efficient and holds strong promise for long-duration monitoring of aquatic environments. A novel scheme is proposed for spatially explicit water column sampling using the bio-inspired underwater glider. The scheme using spiraling motion to sample each water column, followed by sawtooth motion toward the direction of the next water column. Once surfacing, the glider uses undulatory fin propulsion to reach the next column location. Comprehensive design for the bio-inspired underwater glider prototype, comprised of six individually-actuated fin, is provided. Experiments are performed in a test tank to investigate the performance and maneuverability of the bio-inspired underwater glider prototype via surface swimming.