Robotic Fish Gear-Driven Maneuverability in Tight Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack effective solutions for exploring and monitoring marine and terrestrial environments, particularly in navigating tight spaces and avoiding obstacles, for applications such as pollution detection and volcanic activity monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A gear-driven robotic fish design that mimics the movement of real fish, featuring separate movement of the tail, pectoral fins, and head, achieved through an external and internal gear system that allows for independent control and direction change, enabling efficient navigation in tight spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a robotic fish uses a gear-driven mechanism with separate control of tail, pectoral fins, and head, then it can maneuver well in tight spaces and avoid obstacles, but the device complexity increases due to multiple gears and separate movement mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic fish is divided into separate controllable segments: tail, pectoral fins, and head, each with independent gear-driven mechanisms. This segmentation allows each part to move independently for precise maneuvering in tight spaces while avoiding obstacles, directly resolving the contradiction between maneuverability and complexity by organizing the complex system into manageable functional segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic fish employs dynamic gear mechanisms that allow the tail, pectoral fins, and head to adjust their movement independently and adaptively. The lateral gears enable dynamic direction changes and oscillatory movements, providing real-time adaptability for navigating tight spaces and avoiding obstacles, thus improving ease of operation despite the inherent complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the robotic fish uses lateral gears for direction control, then it can effectively avoid objects from the sides, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase for the gear engagement and separation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The obstacle avoidance function is segmented into dedicated lateral gear mechanisms positioned on the sides of the robotic fish. These lateral gears can engage and disengage independently to avoid objects from the sides, separating the avoidance function from the main propulsion system and reducing the overall manufacturing precision requirements for the entire gear system.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral gears are designed to engage only partially when obstacle avoidance is needed, rather than requiring full engagement of the entire gear system. This partial action approach allows for reduced manufacturing precision requirements, as the gears only need to function correctly during specific avoidance maneuvers rather than maintaining perfect engagement continuously.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic fish includes a pair of rear lateral gears controlling a rear portion of the robotic fish, and a pair of front lateral gears control a front portion of the robotic fish. A pair of right side lateral gears control a right pectoral side of the robotic fish, and a pair of left side lateral gears control a left pectoral side of the robotic fish.