North Carolina State University researchers have developed a manta ray-inspired ‘butterfly bot’ that is now the fastest swimming soft robot yet. They were named as such due to their because their swimming motion mimicking a human’s arms when performing the the butterfly stroke in water as well as having biomechanics inspired by the manta ray.
The team built two types of butterfly bots: the first was built specifically for speed, and was able to reach average speeds of 3.74 body lengths per second, while the other is highly maneuverable, capable of making sharp turns to the right or left. The latter was only able to achieve speeds of 1.7 body lengths per second. Propulsion comes from their wings, which are ‘bistable’, or having two stable states.
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Most previous attempts to develop flapping robots have focused on using motors to provide power directly to the wings. Our approach uses bistable wings that are passively driven by moving the central body. This is an important distinction, because it allows for a simplified design, which lowers the weight,” said Yinding Chi, first author of the paper and a recent Ph.D. graduate of NC State.
