76th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 19, 2023 — November 21, 2023)

V0048: To swim fast or go far? Answers from 1-guilla, the robotic eel

Authors
  • Alexandros Anastasiadis, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Annalisa Rossi, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Laura Paez, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Kamilo Melo, KM-RoBoTa
  • Eric D. Tytell, Tufts University
  • Auke J. Ijspeert, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Karen Mulleners, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2023.GFM.V0048

Elongated anguilliform swimmers, like eels, demonstrate exceptional swimming efficiency during their migration period, travelling thousands of kilometres without feeding. To explore and decompose this type of swimming, 1-guilla, the anguilliform, eel-like robot was designed. The basic ingredient for 1-guilla to move forward is to create a wave that travels down its body; a travelling wave. How can 1-guilla use the travelling wave to swim fast? How can 1-guilla spend minimum energy to travel far? Through an exchange with waves, colors and different travelling wave motions, 1-guilla in this video manages to find some answers to those questions. 

*This work was financially supported by the STI eSeed programme at EPFL.

*Song: The Feed / Band: The Steams. Use with explicit permission by The Steams.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Any reuse must credit the author(s) and provide a link back to this page.