Development and control of dolphin-like underwater vehicle

This paper is concerned with prototype development and motion control of a dolphin-like underwater robot. The propulsion and maneuvering of the robotic dolphin are realized with the flapping motion of the mechanical flippers and the combined heaving and pitching motions of the fluke. Mechanical design and control of the flipper apparatus and the flexible tail mechanism are presented. Through coordinated control of the propulsors, several swimming movements are designed. Preliminary experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed design scheme.