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Synopsis While animals swim, crawl, walk, and fly with apparent ease, building robots capable of robust locomotion remains a significant challenge. In this review, we draw attention to mechanosensation—the sensing of mechanical forces generated within and outside the body—as a key sense that enables robust locomotion in animals. We discuss differences between mechanosensation in animals and current robots with respect to (1) the encoding properties and distribution of mechanosensors and (2) the integration and regulation of mechanosensory feedback. We argue that robotics would benefit greatly from a detailed understanding of these aspects in animals. To that end, we highlight promising experimental and engineering approaches to study mechanosensation, emphasizing the mutual benefits for biologists and engineers that emerge from moving forward together.
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Aspect ratio affects the equilibrium altitude of near-ground swimmers
Animals and bio-inspired robots can swim/fly faster near solid surfaces, with little to no loss in efficiency. How these benefits change with propulsor aspect ratio is unknown. Here we show that lowering the aspect ratio weakens unsteady ground effect, thrust enhancements become less noticeable, stable equilibrium altitudes shift lower and become weaker and wake asymmetries become less pronounced. Water-channel experiments and potential flow simulations reveal that these effects are consistent with known unsteady aerodynamic scalings. We also discovered a second equilibrium altitude even closer to the wall ( $${<}0.35$$ chord lengths). This second equilibrium is unstable, particularly for high-aspect-ratio foils. Active control may therefore be required for high-aspect-ratio swimmers hoping to get the full benefit of near-ground swimming. The fact that aspect ratio alters near-ground propulsion suggests that it may be a key design parameter for animals and robots that swim/fly near a seafloor or surface of a lake.
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- PAR ID:
- 10251422
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics
- Volume:
- 917
- ISSN:
- 0022-1120
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.307
