3-D Path Following Control for a Miniature Maneuverable Robotic Fish with Hybrid Actuators

Recent developments in biomimetic technology show great potential to improve the locomotion capability of underwater robots. This paper presents a three-dimensional (3-D) path following control method for a miniature robotic tiger fish featuring hybrid propulsion, i.e., fishlike swimming and marine propellers. With the full consideration of the bionic propulsion and propellers, a hybrid 3-D dynamic model with reasonable assumptions is firstly established relying on the parameter identification. On this basis, a 3-D path following controller is proposed through taking full advantage of both fishlike swimming and propeller propulsion, whose stability is proven using the Lyapunov function. Finally, extensive aquatic experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed prototype and methods, offering valuable guidance for the development of high-performance miniature robotic fish in a hybrid-driven way.