Flow Dynamics of Soft Robotic Swimmers

Goals

1) Innovation in Bio-Inspired Design: Advance the understanding of bio-inspired robotics by integrating biological principles into the design of soft-material robotic swimmers.
2) Interdisciplinary Project: Foster collaboration between engineering, material science, and biology to explore new soft robots that contribute to the field of biomimicry.
3) Fluid Dynamics Analysis: Investigate the fluid mechanics around the robots to optimize propulsion efficiency.
4) Application: Apply understanding of the robot performance and fluid mechanics to environmental sensing and biomedical applications.

Issues Involved or Addressed

The issues addressed by the project span several domains, reflecting its broad, multidisciplinary nature:

1. Technological Innovation:
   • Address the challenge of designing bio-inspired robots that can adapt to and navigate aquatic environments with similar effectiveness as living organisms.
   • Tackle the development of robust, versatile, and high-performing magnetic soft-material robotic swimmers.
2. Scientific Research and Education:
   • Enhance the understanding of fluid dynamics in biological systems by studying the movement of bio-inspired robots, providing valuable insights into the physical principles that underlie effective locomotion in water.
   • Create educational opportunities for students across disciplines, promoting an integrative approach to learning and research that combines biology, material science, and engineering.
3. Environmental Impact:
   • Contribute to environmental monitoring efforts by developing robots capable of detecting and analyzing pollutants, which is critical in the face of increasing water pollution and its impact on marine life
4.  Interdisciplinary Collaboration
   • Foster a collaborative environment where students and researchers from different fields can share knowledge and methodologies, leading to innovative approaches and problem-solving techniques.
   • Foster a collaborative environment where students and researchers from different fields can share knowledge and methodologies, leading to innovative approaches and problem-solving techniques

Partners/Sponsors

We partially collaborate with ZhaoLab (Dr. Ruike Renee Zhao) at Stanford for this project.