A Multi-Body Approach for 6DOF Modeling of Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Vehicles with Simulation and Experimental Results

We propose a six degree-of-freedom multi-body approach for modeling and simulation of Biologically-inspired (or Biomimetic) Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (BAUVs), i.e., artificial fish. The proposed approach is based on considering the BAUV as comprised of multiple rigid bodies interlinked through joints; the external force and torque on each rigid body in the BAUV is expressed using quasi-steady aerodynamic theory and the joint constraints are imposed through an impulse-based technique. A BAUV simulation platform has been implemented based on the proposed modeling framework and has been applied to analyze a specific BAUV inspired by the electric ray. The hardware implementation of the electric ray inspired BAUV is also presented. Finally, sample simulation results and validation against experimental data collected from the electric ray inspired BAUV are also presented.