In a study done in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Technology in Patna, India, a fascinating summary was made of all the concepts that are based on the biomimetic imitation of fish, and according to which a selection of robots have been developed to this day
By: Ziv Kohani
In the reservoir that will be presented in the article, you may not be able to catch a real fish, but you will be able to fish an idea, which results from a technological-robotic analysis, made on the basis of a large selection of fish.
In a study done in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Technology in Patna, India, a fascinating summary was made of all the concepts that are based on the biomimetic imitation of fish, and according to which a selection of robots have been developed to this day. The research collected all the designs that were based on the physiology, behavior and anatomy of the fish, a fact that made it possible to present energetically efficient developments, with special movement capabilities and of course with the ability to move without the robot being discovered, in a place where secrecy is required. The main goal of the comprehensive study was to present everything that has been done in the field so far, and to lay out all the things that are still open and it is recommended to continue researching and developing them.
The study presented a detailed comparison of the existing studies and developments according to a division into parameters of sensing, propulsion and movement capabilities adapted to the medium inside the water. These parameters help the engineers involved in the field to examine the sensors they should use, drive components, controllers, etc., with reference to the size of the robot, its weight, the required speed, and the required movement and mobility profile.
One of the fascinating things in the research is a comparison of the movement mechanisms in fish and their comparison to technological-kinematic mechanisms that enable the imitation. For example, a fish that moves only by moving its fin - what would be suitable in terms of a motor, an electronic controller, etc., compared to an eel that moves its entire body in constant motion, when both the movement mechanism is different and the physical dimensions are different, and from this arise, for example, different definitions of required motor strength, mechanisms mechanics of providing different movement capabilities and the like.
It became clear from the research that the sensing mechanisms were copied by a wide variety of technological mechanisms: vision by cameras, hearing by ultrasonic probes, movement by pressure probes, depth and more. Complicated algorithms were, of course, developed in order to combine and process all the information received from the sensors into instructions and settings, which allow the robot to deal with different environmental conditions such as different temperatures, different depths, different pressures, the flow speed of a river and more.
It turns out that there are a variety of common fields for the use of robots (besides the trivial military use) - research for minerals and underwater resources, searching and locating sunken objects such as shipwrecks and even "sociological" studies of the fish themselves.
So next time please be careful not only of the bones but also of some piece of engine or sensor that may be in the fish on the plate.
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