We have created an autonomous, biomimetic robotic fish that closely follows both the shape and motion of real animals. We hope to investigate the efficiency of this motion in order to create underwater robot swarms which require less power to operate and can be both cheaper and simpler to produce.
The Boston Engineering SCOPE project is part of a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTR) grant from the Office of Naval Research that is held jointly by Olin College and Boston Engineering. The SCOPE team designed a biometric robot modeled after the tuna fish. The GhostSwimmer is a highly efficient and maneuverable unmanned undersea vehicle developed for a wide variety of missions. The Olin team was primarily responsible for the maneuverability and sensor portions of the robot; Boston Engineering is designing the propulsion system.