Synthesis and Coordination of the Motion of Multiple Flapping Foils for Control of a Biorobotic AUV

This paper presents an innovative control system for a new experimental vehicle, named BAUV, that achieves efficient maneuvering through the exploitation of unsteady hydrodynamics. BAUV swims by coordinating the motion of six biology-inspired high-lift foils attached to its rigid cylindrical hull. We use experimental data to analyze hydrodynamic forces and moments produced by a single foil as a function of its motion parameters. Given this analysis, we describe a method for synthesizing and coordinating the sinusoidal motion of all six foils to produce any desired resultant mean force and moment vectors on the vehicle. The mathematics behind the resulting algorithm is simple and effective, yielding compact and efficient implementation code. The solution method also considers and accommodates the physical constraints inherent in the foil actuators. We present experimental results that demonstrate the solution method and the vehicle's resulting high maneuverability.