Experimental study on drag-induced balancing via a static tail for water-running robots

Abstract

Robotics is one area of research in which bio-inspiration is an effective way to design a system by investigating the working principles of nature. Recently, tails have received interest in robotics to increase stability and maneuverability. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a static tail for bio-inspired water-running locomotion. The tail was added to increase the stability in the rolling and yawing directions based on the hydrodynamic force from interaction between the tail and the water. The drag coefficient in the interaction is not easy to calculate analytically, so experimental studies were done for various static tail shapes. Five different shapes and compliances in two directions were considered for experimental design candidates. The result was applied to design a stable amphibious robot that can run on ground and water surfaces.