title: A biorobotic pectoral fin for autonomous undersea vehicles.
abstract: A biorobotic fin for autonomous undersea vehicles (AUVs) was developed based on studies of the anatomy, kinematics, and hydrodynamics of the bluegill sunfish pectoral fin. The biorobotic fin was able to produce many of the complex fin motions used by the sunfish during steady swimming and was used to investigate mechanisms of thrust production and control. This biorobotic fin is an excellent experimental tool and is an important first step towards developing propulsive devices that give AUVs maneuvering characteristics that match and exceed those of highly maneuverable fish.
authors.affiliation: Bioinstrum. Lab., Massachusetts Inst. of Technol., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. jtangor@mit.edu
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tangorra
authors.forename: S Naomi
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Madden
authors.forename: George V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Lauder
authors.forename: Ian W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Hunter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005121:Extremities / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012767:Ships; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*