A Study on Kinematic Pattern of Fish Undulatory Locomotion Using a Robot Fish

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhong ◽  
Jialei Song ◽  
Haoyong Yu ◽  
Ruxu Du
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Kinematic Pattern ◽  
Thrust Generation ◽  
Yaw Stability ◽  
Sinusoidal Pattern ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion ◽  
Robot Fish ◽  
Kinematic Optimization ◽  
Surrounding Fluid

Recent state-of-art researches on robot fish focus on revealing different swimming mechanisms and developing control methods to imitate the kinematics of the real fish formulated by the so-called Lighthill's theory. However, the reason why robot fish must follow this formula has not been fully studied. In this paper, we adopt a biomimetic untethered robot fish to study the kinematics of fish flapping. The robot fish consists of a wire-driven body and a soft compliant tail, which can perform undulatory motion using one motor. A dynamic model integrated with surrounding fluid is developed to predict the cruising speed, static thrust, dynamic thrust, and yaw stability of the robot fish. Three driving patterns of the motor are experimented to achieve three kinematic patterns of the robot fish, e.g., triangular pattern, sinusoidal pattern, and an over-cambered sinusoidal pattern. Based on the experiment results, it is found that the sinusoidal pattern generated the largest average static thrust and steady cruising speed, while the triangular pattern achieved the best yaw stability. The over-cambered sinusoidal pattern was compromised in both metrics. Moreover, the kinematics study has shown that the body curves of the robot fish were similar to the referenced body curves presented by the formula when using the sinusoidal pattern, especially the major thrust generation area. This research provides a guidance on the kinematic optimization and motor control of the undulatory robot fish.

scholarly journals Online proprioception feeds plasticity of arm representation following tool-use in healthy aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salam Bahmad ◽  
Luke E. Miller ◽  
Minh Tu Pham ◽  
Richard Moreau ◽  
Romeo Salemme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
The Body ◽  
Hand Movements ◽  
Old Adults ◽  
Kinematic Pattern ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Proprioceptive Inputs

Abstract Following tool-use, the kinematics of free-hand movements are altered. This modified kinematic pattern has been taken as a behavioral hallmark of the modification induced by tool-use on the effector representation. Proprioceptive inputs appear central in updating the estimated effector state. Here we questioned whether online proprioceptive modality that is accessed in real time, or offline, memory-based, proprioception is responsible for this update. Since normal aging affects offline proprioception only, we examined a group of 60 year-old adults for proprioceptive acuity and movement’s kinematics when grasping an object before and after tool-use. As a control, participants performed the same movements with a weight—equivalent to the tool—weight-attached to their wrist. Despite hampered offline proprioceptive acuity, 60 year-old participants exhibited the typical kinematic signature of tool incorporation: Namely, the latency of transport components peaks was longer and their amplitude reduced after tool-use. Instead, we observed no kinematic modifications in the control condition. In addition, online proprioception acuity correlated with tool incorporation, as indexed by the amount of kinematics changes observed after tool-use. Altogether, these findings point to the prominent role played by online proprioception in updating the body estimate for the motor control of tools.

Modifications of Locomotor Pattern Underlying Escape Behavior in the Lamprey

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 297-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma S. Islam ◽  
Pavel V. Zelenin
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Escape Behavior ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
The Body ◽  
Descending Pathways ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Lower Vertebrate ◽  
Dorsal Roots ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion

Two forms of undulatory locomotion in the lamprey (a lower vertebrate) have been described earlier: fast forward swimming (FFS) used for long distance migrations and slow backward swimming (SBS) used for escape from adverse tactile stimuli. In the present study, we describe another form of escape behavior: slow forward swimming (SFS). We characterize the kinematic and electromyographic patterns of SFS and compare them with SBS and FFS. The most striking feature of SFS is nonuniformity of shape and speed of the locomotor waves propagating along the body: close to the site of stimulation, the waves slow down and the body curvature increases several-fold due to enhanced muscle activity. Lesions of afferents showed that sensory information critical for elicitation of SFS is transmitted through the dorsal roots. In contrast, sensory signals that induce SBS are transmitted through the dorsal roots, lateral line nerves, and trigeminal nerves. Persistence of SFS and SBS after different lesions of the spinal cord suggests that the ascending and descending pathways, necessary for induction of SBS and SFS, are dispersed over the cross section of the spinal cord. As shown previously, during FFS (but not SBS) the lamprey maintains the dorsal-side-up body orientation due to vestibular postural reflexes. In this study we have found that the orientation control is absent during SFS. The role of the spinal cord and the brain stem in generation of different forms of undulatory locomotion is discussed.

The mechanics of swallowing and the muscular control of diverse behaviours in gopher snakes

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (17) ◽  
pp. 2589-2601 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.R. Moon
Keyword(s):  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Muscular Activity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Lateral Bending ◽  
Pituophis Melanoleucus ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion ◽  
Axial System ◽  
Inside Out ◽  
Functional Versatility ◽  
King Snakes

Snakes are excellent subjects for studying functional versatility and potential constraints because their movements are constrained to vertebral bending and twisting. In many snakes, swallowing is a kind of inside-out locomotion. During swallowing, vertebral bends push food from the jaws along a substantial length of the body to the stomach. In gopher snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus) and king snakes (Lampropeltis getula), swallowing often begins with lateral bending of the head and neck as the jaws advance unilaterally over the prey. Axial movement then shifts to accordion-like, concertina bending as the prey enters the oesophagus. Once the prey is completely engulfed, concertina bending shifts to undulatory bending that pushes the prey to the stomach. The shift from concertina to undulatory bending reflects a shift from pulling the prey into the throat (or advancing the mouth over the prey) to pushing it along the oesophagus towards the stomach. Undulatory kinematics and muscular activity patterns are similar in swallowing and undulatory locomotion. However, the distinct mechanical demands of internal versus external force exertion result in different duty factors of muscle activity. Feeding and locomotor movements are thus integral functions of the snake axial system.

Environmental effects on undulatory locomotion in the American eel Anguilla rostrata: kinematics in water and on land

1998 ◽  
Vol 201 (7) ◽  
pp. 949-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Gillis
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
The Body ◽  
Anguilla Rostrata ◽  
American Eel ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Undulatory Locomotion ◽  
Longitudinal Position

Historically, the study of swimming eels (genus Anguilla) has been integral to our understanding of the mechanics and muscle activity patterns used by fish to propel themselves in the aquatic environment. However, no quantitative kinematic analysis has been reported for these animals. Additionally, eels are known to make transient terrestrial excursions, and in the past it has been presumed (but never tested) that the patterns of undulatory movement used terrestrially are similar to those used during swimming. In this study, high-speed video was used to characterize the kinematic patterns of undulatory locomotion in water and on land in the American eel Anguilla rostrata. During swimming, eels show a nonlinear increase in the amplitude of lateral undulations along their bodies, reaching an average maximum of 0.08L, where L is total length, at the tip of the tail. However, in contrast to previous observations, the most anterior regions of their bodies do not undergo significant undulation. In addition, a temporal lag (typically 10–15 % of an undulatory cycle) exists between maximal flexion and displacement at any given longitudinal position. Swimming speed does not have a consistent effect on this lag or on the stride length (distance moved per tailbeat) of the animal. Speed does have subtle (although statistically insignificant) effects on the patterns of undulatory amplitude and intervertebral flexion along the body. On land, eels also use lateral undulations to propel themselves; however, their entire bodies are typically bent into waves, and the undulatory amplitude at all body positions is significantly greater than during swimming at equivalent speeds. The temporal lag between flexion and displacement seen during swimming is not present during terrestrial locomotion. While eels cannot move forwards as quickly on land as they do in water, they do increase locomotor speed with increasing tailbeat frequency. The clear kinematic distinctions present between aquatic and terrestrial locomotor sequences suggest that eels might be using different axial muscle activity patterns to locomote in the different environments.

Motion Control of the Parallel Bicycle Type Mobile Robot which is Composed of a Triple Inverted Pendulum (lst Report, Stability Control of Standing Upright, Ascending and Descending of Stairs)

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 490-496
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Yasui ◽  
◽  
Kazuo Yamafuji ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Robot ◽  
Motion Control ◽  
Inverted Pendulum ◽  
Stability Control ◽  
The Body ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
New Type ◽  
Triple Inverted Pendulum ◽  
Or Applications

In the previous papers, we reported the motion control methods and experimental results on the parallel bicycle which is composed of a double inverted pendulum type body pivoted on the axis of parallel wheels and a pair of controlling arms suspended from the upper end of the body. The inverted pendulum type parallel bicycle can stabilize itself skillfully and move according to the servo reference by means of its controlling arms or the wheels. However, it cannot negotiate uneven paths such as stairs. For travels on uneven paths, we have developed a new type of parallel bicycle with an articulated joint connecting two divided body sections. This bicycle can change its configuration by folding its body, and can adapt itself to different environments or applications. Some control methods for the new vehicle and experimental results are described in detail in this paper.

Lift based mechanisms for swimming in eurypterids and portunid crabs

1985 ◽  
Vol 76 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 325-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy E. Plotnick
Keyword(s):  
Blue Crab ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Insect Flight ◽  
Callinectes Sapidus ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Functional Constraints ◽  
Thrust Generation ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Physical Principles

ABSTRACTThe striking morphological similarity that exists between appendages of the extant portunid crabs, such as Callinectes sapidus, and those of the extinet eurypterids has long been noted. The fifth pair of pereiopods in blue crags and other portunids are modified to form the broad, flat, highly mobile ‘swim paddles.’ A nearly identical modification is seen in the sixth pair of prosomal appendages of many eurypterids. The similarities are due to convergence and not to shared descent.The kinetics of blue crab swimming were studied using high speed films. The animals are capable of slow upwards locomotion (‘hovering’) and rapid sideways swimming. The blue crab paddles apparently act as reciprocating hydrofoils, employing well-understood principles of lift and thrust generation to overcome the animal's weight and drag. Experimental studies indicated that the paddles are capable of producing appreciable amounts of lift. Drag on the body and paddles was also determined. Resxults are similar to those obtained in previous studies of bird and insect flight.The physical principles employed to study blue crab swimming can be applied to the study of eurypterid locomotion. The eurypterid paddles may have functioned as hydrofoils, producing lift and thrust on forestroke and backstroke. Eurypterids were probably highly agile and manoueverable swimmers, capable of hovering and of high speed swimming. This model predicts observed morphological correlates. Predicted morphological correlates of earlier models (often based on analogies with Limulus) were not found.The observed convergence between eurypterids and blue crabs may have resulted from similar functional constraints and parallel phylogenetic histories.

Designing a Hydrodynamic Shape and Thrust Mechanism for a Batoid Underwater Robot

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 45-58
Author(s):  
Farhood Azarsina
Keyword(s):  
Body Shape ◽  
The Body ◽  
Shaft Speed ◽  
Underwater Robots ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Complex Engineering ◽  
Robot Fish ◽  
Design Speed ◽  
Vast Area

AbstractGiven the facts that a vast area of the earth is covered by water and the average depth of the oceans is more than 3,000 m, the issue of the unknowns beneath the water surface is a challenging and questionable one. It has been a few decades since remotely operated vehicles as well as untethered underwater robots have appeared and elevated the level of complex engineering. In this category, underwater robots that mimic fish and aquatic creatures open new horizons. In this article, imitating the body shape, kinematics, and swimming mechanism of a batoid fish (Dasyatidae), a vessel is designed that can swim at an acceptable speed with a limited amount of power. The hull shape is based on a cardioid curve, and drag force is calculated using fundamentals of fluid mechanics. Propulsion of the robot-fish is two wings at starboard and port that are undulating backward; thrust is approximated versus shaft speed. Finally, the power for swimming at the design speed is evaluated and compared with the available data of similar orders of magnitude.

Analysis of the swimming of microscopic organisms

1951 ◽  
Vol 209 (1099) ◽  
pp. 447-461 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Viscous Fluid ◽  
Lateral Displacement ◽  
Wave Length ◽  
The Body ◽  
Strong Reaction ◽  
Viscous Forces ◽  
Wave Trains ◽  
Velocity Of Propagation ◽  
The Waves ◽  
Surrounding Fluid

Large objects which propel themselves in air or water make use of inertia in the surrounding fluid. The propulsive organ pushes the fluid backwards, while the resistance of the body gives the fluid a forward momentum. The forward and backward momenta exactly balance, but the propulsive organ and the resistance can be thought about as acting separately. This conception cannot be transferred to problems of propulsion in microscopic bodies for which the stresses due to viscosity may be many thousands of times as great as those due to inertia. No case of self-propulsion in a viscous fluid due to purely viscous forces seems to have been discussed. The motion of a fluid near a sheet down which waves of lateral displacement are propagated is described. It is found that the sheet moves forwards at a rate 2π 2 b 2 /λ 2 times the velocity of propagation of the waves. Here b is the amplitude and λ the wave-length. This analysis seems to explain how a propulsive tail can move a body through a viscous fluid without relying on reaction due to inertia. The energy dissipation and stress in the tail are also calculated. The work is extended to explore the reaction between the tails of two neighbouring small organisms with propulsive tails. It is found that if the waves down neighbouring tails are in phase very much less energy is dissipated in the fluid between them than when the waves are in opposite phase. It is also found that when the phase of the wave in one tail lags behind that in the other there is a strong reaction, due to the viscous stress in the fluid between them, which tends to force the two wave trains into phase. It is in fact observed that the tails of spermatozoa wave in unison when they are close to one another and pointing the same way.

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