A Simple Physical Model for Control of a Propellerless Aquatic Robot

Abstract

Abstract This paper is concerned with the motion of an aquatic robot whose body has the form of a sharp-edged foil. The robot is propelled by rotating the internal rotor without shell deformation. The motion of the robot is described by a finite-dimensional mathematical model derived from physical considerations. This model takes into account the effect of added masses and viscous friction. The parameters of the model are calculated from comparison of experimental data and numerical solution to the equations of rigid body motion and the Navier–Stokes equations. The proposed mathematical model is used to define controls implementing straight-line motion, motion in a circle, and motion along a complex trajectory. Experiments for estimation of the efficiency of the model have been conducted.