RBE PhD Speaking Qualifiers
Robin Hall
Soft Underwater Robots
December 15th, 2023
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location : Unity Hall Room 150E
Abstract: Soft underwater robots are typically bio-inspired and inefficient. We merge the features of soft robots with the efficiency and speed benefits of propeller-driven rigid robots to propose a unique soft robot. DRAGON (Deformable Robot for Agile Guided Observation and Navigation) is a free-swimming deformable impeller-powered vectored underwater vehicle (VUV). This vehicle can be succinctly described as a flexible torpedo. To expound, a 3D-printed wave spring structure directs the water drawn through the center of the robot by an impeller, enabling it to move smoothly in different directions. Improvements to the design will enable the robot to explore complex 3D environments both experimentally and in simulation. The proposed research will result in a novel, soft underwater robot, dynamics modelling and simulation, and open ocean trials.
Zoom: https://wpi.zoom.us/j/2669122341
Advisor:
Cagdas Onal, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Committee:
Markus Nemitz, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Mahdi Agheli, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Rachel Scudder