Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer
From insects to arachnids to bacteria, the surfaces of lakes and ponds are teaming with life. Many modes of locomotion are employed by these organisms to navigate along the air–water interface, including the use of lipid-laden excretions that can locally change the surface tension of the water and i...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Biomimetics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/8/5/440 |
| _version_ | 1827727041428979712 |
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| author | Samuel Bechard Mitchel L. Timm Hassan Masoud Jonathan P. Rothstein |
| author_facet | Samuel Bechard Mitchel L. Timm Hassan Masoud Jonathan P. Rothstein |
| author_sort | Samuel Bechard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From insects to arachnids to bacteria, the surfaces of lakes and ponds are teaming with life. Many modes of locomotion are employed by these organisms to navigate along the air–water interface, including the use of lipid-laden excretions that can locally change the surface tension of the water and induce a Marangoni flow. In this paper, we improved the speed and maneuverability of a miniature remote-controlled robot that mimics insect locomotion using an onboard tank of isopropyl alcohol and a series of servomotors to control both the rate and location of alcohol release to both propel and steer the robot across the water. Here, we studied the effect of a series of design changes to the foam rubber footpads, which float the robot and are integral in efficiently converting the alcohol-induced surface tension gradients into propulsive forces and effective maneuvering. Two designs were studied: a two-footpad design and a single-footpad design. In the case of two footpads, the gap between the two footpads was varied to investigate its impact on straight-line speed, propulsion efficiency, and maneuverability. An optimal design was found with a small but finite gap between the two pads of 7.5 mm. In the second design, a single footpad without a central gap was studied. This footpad had a rectangular cut-out in the rear to capture the alcohol. Footpads with wider and shallower cut-outs were found to optimize efficiency. This observation was reinforced by the predictions of a simple theoretical mechanical model. Overall, the optimized single-footpad robot outperformed the two-footpad robot, producing a 30% improvement in speed and a 400% improvement in maneuverability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:00:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e3663307f5954882ab4f12d49f570d66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-7673 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:00:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomimetics |
| spelling | doaj.art-e3663307f5954882ab4f12d49f570d662023-11-19T09:44:32ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732023-09-018544010.3390/biomimetics8050440Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni SurferSamuel Bechard0Mitchel L. Timm1Hassan Masoud2Jonathan P. Rothstein3Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USADepartment of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USAFrom insects to arachnids to bacteria, the surfaces of lakes and ponds are teaming with life. Many modes of locomotion are employed by these organisms to navigate along the air–water interface, including the use of lipid-laden excretions that can locally change the surface tension of the water and induce a Marangoni flow. In this paper, we improved the speed and maneuverability of a miniature remote-controlled robot that mimics insect locomotion using an onboard tank of isopropyl alcohol and a series of servomotors to control both the rate and location of alcohol release to both propel and steer the robot across the water. Here, we studied the effect of a series of design changes to the foam rubber footpads, which float the robot and are integral in efficiently converting the alcohol-induced surface tension gradients into propulsive forces and effective maneuvering. Two designs were studied: a two-footpad design and a single-footpad design. In the case of two footpads, the gap between the two footpads was varied to investigate its impact on straight-line speed, propulsion efficiency, and maneuverability. An optimal design was found with a small but finite gap between the two pads of 7.5 mm. In the second design, a single footpad without a central gap was studied. This footpad had a rectangular cut-out in the rear to capture the alcohol. Footpads with wider and shallower cut-outs were found to optimize efficiency. This observation was reinforced by the predictions of a simple theoretical mechanical model. Overall, the optimized single-footpad robot outperformed the two-footpad robot, producing a 30% improvement in speed and a 400% improvement in maneuverability.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/8/5/440Marangoni effectsurfing robotremotely controlledself-powered |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Bechard Mitchel L. Timm Hassan Masoud Jonathan P. Rothstein Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer Biomimetics Marangoni effect surfing robot remotely controlled self-powered |
| title | Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer |
| title_full | Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer |
| title_fullStr | Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer |
| title_short | Using Footpad Sculpturing to Enhance the Maneuverability and Speed of a Robotic Marangoni Surfer |
| title_sort | using footpad sculpturing to enhance the maneuverability and speed of a robotic marangoni surfer |
| topic | Marangoni effect surfing robot remotely controlled self-powered |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/8/5/440 |
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