Underwater soft jet propulsion based on a hoberman mechanism

Abstract

This paper presents the results of single pulsation tests aimed to evaluate the performance of a Hoberman sphere mechanism as an underwater jet propulsor. The tests were carried out in a fish tank and the position of the robot was visually tracked to estimate the speed and the contraction kinematic. Results suggest that, due to the great volume variation allowed by the Hoberman sphere, this system can reach similar performances in term of speed with respect to previous solutions, while it can improve the generated thrust.