Characterization and Evaluation of Screw-Based Locomotion Across Aquatic, Granular, and Transitional Media

TL;DR

This paper systematically investigates screw-based locomotion across water, granular, and transitional media, identifying key parameters and design strategies to optimize amphibious mobility.

Contribution

It introduces a principles-first analysis approach and categorizes performance parameters, advancing screw design for versatile amphibious applications.

Findings

Certain parameters dominate performance depending on media

Derived parameters from heat sink optimization inform design choices

Insights into screw shell design improve adaptive locomotion strategies

Abstract

Screw-based propulsion systems offer promising capabilities for amphibious mobility, yet face significant challenges in optimizing locomotion across water, granular materials, and transitional environments. This study presents a systematic investigation into the locomotion performance of various screw configurations in media such as dry sand, wet sand, saturated sand, and water. Through a principles-first approach to analyze screw performance, it was found that certain parameters are dominant in their impact on performance. Depending on the media, derived parameters inspired from optimizing heat sink design help categorize performance within the dominant design parameters. Our results provide specific insights into screw shell design and adaptive locomotion strategies to enhance the performance of screw-based propulsion systems for versatile amphibious applications.