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Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey

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Abstract

Experiments are reported on the hydrodynamics of a swimming robotic lamprey under conditions of steady swimming and where the thrust exceeds the drag. The motion of the robot was based on the swimming of live lampreys, which is described by an equation similar to that developed for the American eel by Tytell and Lauder (J Exp Biol 207:1825–1841, 2004). For steady swimming, the wake structure closely resembles that of the American eel, where two pairs of same sign vortices are shed each tail beat cycle, giving the wake a 2P structure. Force estimates suggest that the major part of the thrust is produced at or close to the end of the tail.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by NIH CNRS Grant 1R01NS054271. Dr. Eric Tytell helped guide our research through many useful discussions and access to data and research methods. Our interactions with Professors Avis Cohen and Phil Holmes continue to be invaluable. The first robotic lamprey was built by Annora Bell and Ed Sheldon, and it was subsequently improved by Steve Batis.

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  1. Marcus Hultmark

    Present address: Chalmers University of Technology, 41296, Gothenburg, Sweden

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA

    Marcus Hultmark, Megan Leftwich & Alexander J. Smits

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  1. Marcus Hultmark
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  2. Megan Leftwich
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  3. Alexander J. Smits
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Correspondence to Alexander J. Smits.

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Hultmark, M., Leftwich, M. & Smits, A.J. Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey. Exp Fluids 43, 683–690 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-007-0412-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-007-0412-1

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