Mechanical design and preliminary realization of robotic fish with multiple control surfaces

This paper deals with the mechanical design and realization of a robotic fish inspired by well-integrated, configurable multiple control surfaces existing in natural fish. Directed against the underwater environment and multimodal motion requirements, the principle and mechanical design for artificial control surfaces involving tail plus caudal fin, pectoral fins, pelvic fin and dorsal fin are discussed. The preliminary construction and control issues are further outlined. Preliminary test results verify the effectiveness of the proposed design. Such a well-assembled fishlike propulsive device, not only provides a repeatable test platform for investigating fish-inspired propulsive mechanisms, but also creates a promising high-performance swimming machine.