It swims

A robot which is powered by a fin that runs the length of its body can swim as it makes a wave in water that propels it forwards.

Called the Gymnobot, it has been developed by engineers at the Ocean Technologies Lab in the University of Bath’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. It is hoped that the swimming robot will be used to film and study the marine life found in shallow water.

Gymnobot is inspired by the Amazonian knifefish and is thought to be more energy efficient than other shallow water vehicles that rely on conventional propellers.

Dr William Megill, Lecturer in Biomimetics at the University of Bath, said: "Gymnobot mimics this [knifefish] fin and creates a wave in the water that drives it forwards. This form of propulsion is potentially much more efficient than a conventional propeller and is easier to control in shallow water near the shore."

Postgraduate student, Keri Collins, who developed the Gymnobot as part of her PhD, added:
"We hope to observe how the water flows around the fin in later stages of the project. In particular we want to look at the creation and development of vortices around the fin.

"Some fish create vortices when flicking their tails one way but then destroy them when their tails flick back the other way. By destroying the vortex they are effectively re-using the energy in that swirling bit of water. The less energy left in the wake when the fish has passed, the less energy is wasted.
"It will be particularly interesting to see how thrust is affected by changing the wave of the fin from a constant amplitude to one that is tapered at one end."

Gymnobot was funded by BMT Defence Services and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council.

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