Quiet cuttlefish robot dives through underwater forest #Biomimicry

Quiet cuttlefish robot dives through underwater forest. by Flora Graham via newscientists

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich has come up with a robot, movement of which is inspired from cuttlefish. One of its own kind, Sepios is a bot with four orthogonal fins. Peep on the link below and see the undulating fin propulsion from the ETH’s nautical robot:

Researchers have always looked upon nature for inspiration and biomimicry is the result of such perseverance efforts. Consequent upon which, they are able to develop technology that is slight above than just mere mimicking of nature.

Sepios specs

Sepios is 70 cm in length, while the wingspan is 95 cm and it weighs around 22.7 kg. It can dive at a maximum depth of 10 m with a speed of 1.8 km/h. The machine is powered by 20’000 mAh battery, and it passes 2 to 40 A of current and it can be powered up to 300W.

Although the robot is almost in its operation stage, however, implementation of software with major features remains to be done. Pressure and a humidity sensor have to be juxtaposed for proper coordination between the two. One camera and laser will be fitted for detecting collision and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for gauging speed and angular velocities.

A 3D Connexion space mouse will be used for generating external input. Omnidirectionality in the bot would be achieved by merging obstacle course and a mathematical proof.

Sepios concept

For maximizing omnidirectionality, unlike the cuttlefish, Sepios uses 4 fins. Every appendage correspond to nine rays, each operated by servo motors through bevel gears. Individual rays have a range of 270 degrees making every fin to create pressure at angular stances. This would also help in generating acrobatic motions like barrel rolls. Each fin has an individual servo controller taking control of all the servos. Entire mechanism is kept modular so that the testing can be done on fins based on different configurations.

There is one central base unit where all the 4 fins are joined together. This includes one actuator, numerous sensors and one swim bladder that help the bot in remaining at a particular level depth. A National Instruments myRIO device coordinates all the input, which is also a reservoir of all the corresponding data.

Read more


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 38,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — New Products 11/15/2024 Featuring Adafruit bq25185 USB / DC / Solar Charger with 3.3V Buck Board! (Video)

Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Select Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: PyCon AU 2024 Talks, New Raspberry Pi Gear Available and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Halloween, WiLo, and more!

Maker Business – Adafruit Daily — The worlds largest car exporter: China

Electronics – Adafruit Daily — Are you grounded?

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.