Researchers at the Univ. of Southampton in England have developed a unique, flexible robot that can swim underwater much like a jellyfish or squid. These organisms propel themselves through water by injecting and ejecting fluid, a process commonly called pulse-jetting.
Squids will fill an internal cavity with water, then quickly expel the water to move itself forward. Despite lacking skeletal structure, squids and jellyfish are able to generate thrust efficiently.
To mimic this structure, the Southampton team created a prototype robot consisting of an umbrella-like apparatus, with eight flexible, 3D-printed ribs arranged in a circle and enclosed by a rubber membrane. The inside of this structure, surrounded by the membrane, is similar to the internal cavity of a squid — and the circular arrangement of ribs resemble the squid’s tentacles.
On top of this structure, the scientists attached an ellipsoid electric actuator, which applies force to the cavity so that the ribs expand and spring back, mimicking...
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