Simulation platform for the underwater snake-like robot swimming based on Kane's dynamic model and central pattern generator

A systematic method for swimming control of the underwater snake-like robot is still lacking. We construct a simulation platform of the underwater snake-like robot swimming based on Kane's dynamic model and central pattern generator (CPG). The partial velocity is deduced. The forces which contribute to dynamics are determined by Kane's approach. Hydrodynamic coefficients are determined by experiments. Then, we design a CPG-based control architecture implemented as the system of coupled nonlinear oscillators. The CPG, like its biological counterpart, can produce coordinated patterns of rhythmic activity while being modulated by simple control parameters. The relations between the CPG parameters and the speed of the underwater snake-like robot swimming are investigated. Swimming in a straight line, turning, and switching between swimming modes are implemented in our simulation platform to prove the feasibility of the proposed simulation platform. The results show that the simulation platform can imitate different swimming modes of the underwater snake-like robot. © 2014 Shanghai Jiaotong University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.