Research
Researchers from EPFL, Duke University, and Instituto Superior Tecnico have developed a larval zebrafish-inspired robotic platform, ZBot, to systematically investigate the intrinsic characteristics and performance advantages of bout-and-glide intermittent swimming compared to continuous swimming. This research focuses on how intermittent swimming, a widespread adaptive behavior in aquatic organisms, can improve the energy efficiency of fish-like robots.
Intermittent swimming, also called bout-and-glide swimming, is a natural gait featuring alternating motion phases: short periods of active body and tail undulation for propulsion, followed by passive gliding with a streamlined, straight body posture. It is widely recognized that this gait is closely associated with optimizing biological energy, making it of great research value to transplant such natural motion mechanisms into robotic control systems.
Improving energy performance can effectively extend the time a robot can operate and reduce battery load, enabling lighter, more flexible, and more durable robotic systems.
The study, led by Xiangxiao Liu, Eva Aimable Naumann, and Auke Ijspeert, highlights that improving energy performance can effectively extend the time a robot can operate and reduce battery load, enabling lighter, more flexible, and more durable robotic systems. The team’s findings suggest that intermittent swimming promotes energy efficiency in fish-like robot movements, offering a blueprint for optimizing robotic locomotion inspired by nature.
Source: Robohub