Design, Modeling and Direction Control of a Wire-Driven Robotic Fish Based on a 2-DoF Crank-Slider Mechanism

TL;DR

This paper presents a wire-driven robotic fish with a 2-DoF crank-slider mechanism that decouples propulsion from steering, enabling high speed and agile maneuvering, validated through prototype experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel decoupled actuation design for robotic fish, combining modeling, control, and experimental validation for improved swimming performance.

Findings

Successful demonstration of high-speed swimming and turning

Effective independent control of propulsion and steering

Prototype experiments confirm design feasibility

Abstract

Robotic fish have attracted growing attention in recent years owing to their biomimetic design and potential applications in environmental monitoring and biological surveys. Among robotic fish employing the Body-Caudal Fin (BCF) locomotion pattern, motor-driven actuation is widely adopted. Some approaches utilize multiple servo motors to achieve precise body curvature control, while others employ a brushless motor to drive the tail via wire or rod, enabling higher oscillation and swimming speeds. However, the former approaches typically result in limited swimming speed, whereas the latter suffer from poor maneuverability, with few capable of smooth turning. To address this trade-off, we develop a wire-driven robotic fish equipped with a 2-degree-of-freedom (DoF) crank-slider mechanism that decouples propulsion from steering, enabling both high swimming speed and agile maneuvering. In this paper, we first present the design of the robotic fish, including the elastic skeleton, waterproof structure, and the actuation mechanism that realizes the decoupling. We then establish the actuation modeling and body dynamics to analyze the locomotion behavior. Furthermore, we propose a combined feedforward-feedback control strategy to achieve independent regulation of propulsion and steering. Finally, we validate the feasibility of the design, modeling, and control through a series of prototype experiments, demonstrating swimming, turning, and directional control.