• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 2014

This paper describes the design concept of a bio-inspired legged underwater and estimating its performance by implementing simulations. Especially the leg structure of an underwater organism, diving beetles, is fully adopted to our designing to employ its efficiency for swimming. To make it possible for the robot to both walk and swim, the transformable kinematic model according to applications of the leg is proposed. To aid in the robot development and estimate swimming performance of the robot in advance, an underwater simulator has been constructed and an approximated model based on the developing robot was set up in the simulation. Furthermore, previous work that we have done, the swimming locomotion produced by a swimming patten generator based on the control parameters, is briefly mentioned in the paper and adopted to the simulation for extensive studies such as path planning and control techniques. Through the results, we established the strategy of leg joints which make the robot swim in the three dimensional space to reach effective controls.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.782-790
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• 2013

In this paper, we propose a better solution for swimming plans of an articulated underwater robot, Crabster, with a view point of biomimetics. As a biomimetic model of underwater organisms, we chose diving beetles structurally similar to Crabster. Various swimming locomotion of the diving beetle has been observed and sorted by robotics technology through experiments with a high-speed camera and image processing software Image J. Subsequently, coordinated patterns of rhythmic movements of the diving beetle are reproduced by simple control parameters in a parameter space which make it easy to control trajectories and velocities of legs. Furthermore, a simulation was implemented with an approximated model to predict the motion of the robot under development based on the classified forward and turning locomotion. Consequently, we confirmed the applicability of parameterized leg locomotion to the articulated underwater robot through the simulated results by the approximated model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2010.05a
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• pp.325-326
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• 2010

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.571-577
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• 2016

In this paper, we propose a novel propulsion method for a Biomimetic underwater robot, which is a bio-inspired approach. The proposed propulsion method mimics the pectoral fins of a real fish. Pectoral fins of real fish are able to propel and change direction. We designed the propulsion mechanism of 1 D.O.F. that has two functions (propel and change direction). We named this propulsion system 'Flipper'. The proposed propulsion method can control forward, pitch and yaw motion using the Flipper. We made an experimental underwater robot system and verified the proposed propulsion method. We measured its maximum speed and turning motion using an experimental underwater robot system. We also analyzed the thrust force from the maximum speed, using the thrust equation. Experimental results showed that our propulsion method enabled the thrust system of the biomimetic robot.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.799-803
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• 2010

Recently, there is a rising interest on studying bio-inspired robotic fish because of real fish's great maneuverability and high energy efficiency. However, the researches about the robotic fish have not been done so much and there are still lots of problems to use them in the real environment such as in the river. This paper describes a bio-inspired robotic fish 'Ichthus' which is developed in KITECH and has 3 DOF propulsive mechanism. We develop the dynamic motion equation of 'Ichthus' in the underwater environment and analyze response characteristics of 'Ichthus' according to the input parameters of tail fin's amplitude and oscillation frequency. Then we propose control parameters at the various velocities. These parameters are useful to increase energy efficiency and it can be used when the fish robot moves in the real environment, for example, we can propose proper amplitude and oscillation frequency when the fish robot passes through the narrow space between obstacles.

• 한국태양에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2012.03a
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• pp.404-405
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• 2012

The research of the biological mimics robot which utilizes the operation of the organism and which it applies to the robot is progressed on the ground, aerial, and underwater robot sector. In the field of flying robot, the research for implementing the wing movement structure of the bird and insect is progressed. The joint structure for the wing movement of the bird is implemented. The operation of the wing is simulated. For this purpose, by using the Matlab/Simulink, the joint structure of the wing is modelled. The joint movement of the wing is tested through the simulation.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.32 no.spc3
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• pp.269-274
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• 2012

The research of the biological mimics robot which utilizes the operation of the organism is progressed on the ground, aerial, and underwater robot sector. In the field of flying robot, the research for implementing the wing movement structure of the bird and insect is progressed. The joint structure for the wing movement of the bird is implemented. The operation of the wing is simulated. For this purpose, by using the Matlab/Simulink, the joint structure of the wing is modelled. The joint movement of the wing is tested through the simulation.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.103-110
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• 2020

Bio-inspired underwater robots have been studied to improve the dynamic performance of fins, such as swimming speed and efficiency, which is the most basic performance. Among them, bio-inspired soft robots with a compliant tail fin can have high degrees of freedom. On the other hand, to improve the driving efficiency of the compliant fins, the stiffness of the tail fin should be changed with the driving frequency. Therefore, a new type of variable stiffness mechanism has been developed and verified. This study, which was inspired by the anatomy of a real dolphin, assessed a process of designing and manufacturing a robotic dolphin with a variable stiffness mechanism. By mimicking the vertebrae of a dolphin, the variable stiffness driving part was manufactured using subtractive and additive manufacturing. A driving tendon was placed considering the location of the tendon in the actual dolphin, and the additional tendon was installed to change its stiffness. A robotic dolphin was designed and manufactured in a streamlined shape, and the swimming speed was measured by varying the stiffness. When the stiffness of the tail fin was varied at the same driving frequency, the swimming speed and thrust changed by approximately 1.24 and 1.5 times, respectively.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.1558-1562
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• 2008

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC), one of Electro- Active Polymer (EAP) actuators, has great attention due to the low-voltage driven, large deformation and its potential for artificial muscles. In this paper, we firstly review fish swimming modes using various propulsion mechanisms. Based on study on the swimming mechanisms, we develop an underwater robot actuator which mimics fanning motion of webfoot form. It consists of four actuators fabricated by using IPMC and PDMS which mimics Bio-inspired motion Experiments using a prototype show that the webfooted IPMC actuator generates large deformation and propulsion.