Performance of schooling tuna-like robotic swimmers

A robotic platform is developed to study the performance of schooling fish. A tuna-like robot with sinusoidal pitching motion of its tail is connected to a dual air-bearing platform. The hydrodynamic performance of the robotic fish is measured in water channel experiments using a six-axis torque and force sensor. Two fish-like robots are positioned at different canonical schooling arrangements: In-line and side-to-side. One swimmer is constrained while the second is freely swimming, being supported by air bearings. The effects of swimming close to a neighbor (schooling) are compared to swimming in isolation as well as to literature results for schooling self-propelled hydrofoils. The performance and stability of the minimal school is investigated.