Design and Dynamic Modelling of a Micro Robot with High Maneuverability

We have designed and simulated the motion of a micro-swimmer with 3D maneuverability. Our swimmer is composed of a link with a simple linear actuator and two disks that can rotate about the axes of flange links and its perpendicular axes. The time symmetry is broken by the combination of disk rotations and the middle link actuation. The swimmer can propel and rotate on each body-fixed axis. Hence, it is capable of swimming along arbitrary trajectories. It has been found out that continuous operation modes result in planar and three-dimensional periodic and quasi-periodic orbits. These orbits allow the swimmer to access large parts of its surroundings without using complex control strategies.