基于智能驱动材料的水下仿生机器人发展综述

Progress of Biomimetic Underwater Robot Based on Intelligent Actuating Materials: a Review

经过漫长的自然选择,水生生物已进化出独特的结构和运动模式,在水下生存具有得天独厚的优势。研究水生生物的运动方式并加以模仿,同时将智能驱动材料应用于水下仿生机器人的结构和运动设计是目前水下仿生机器人的研究热点之一。结合水生生物和智能驱动材料的优点,使得采用智能驱动材料设计的水下仿生机器人更易小型化、机动性更高,可进行连续柔性运动,从而实现在水下的复杂动作,相较传统驱动方式具有显著优势。文中介绍了几种典型水生生物的运动机理,比较了4种典型智能材料性能指标及其优缺点,在此基础上综述了现有3种模仿水生生物推进方式的采用智能驱动材料设计的水下仿生机器人及其结构主要特点,并对其运动效率进行了分析和比较,指出了未来水下仿生机器人的发展需要解决的一些关键问题。

It is one of the current research hotspots of biomimetic underwater robot to study and imitate the motion modes of aquatic animals and apply the intelligent actuating materials to the structure and motion design of a biomimetic underwater robot. Combined with the advantages of aquatic animals and intelligent actuating materials, the biomimetic underwater robot designed with intelligent actuating materials is easier to be miniaturized and higher maneuverability, so it can carry out continuous and flexible movement, and realize complex underwater motion. Compared with the traditional actuating mode, the biomimetic actuating mode has significant advantages. In this paper, the motion mechanisms of several typical aquatic animals are introduced. Comparison of performance specifications, advantages and disadvantages of four typical intelligent materials. The existing biomimetic underwater robots that imitate the propulsion modes of aquatic animals and design with intelligent materials, and their structural features are summarized. The motion efficiency of these robots are analyzed and compared. As a result, some key problems that need to be solved in future development of the biomimetic underwater robots are pointed out.