A Review: From Aquatic Lives Locomotion to Bio-inspired Robot Mechanical Designations

With the development of camera technology, high-speed cameras have greatly contributed to capturing the movement and posture of animals, which has dramatically promoted experimental biology research. At the same time, with the concept of bionics gradually gaining popularity among researchers, the design of robots is absorbing more and more biological features, where the interest in the bio-inspired robot is hewed out. Compared with the traditional robot, the bio-inspired robot imitates the motion pattern to achieve similar propulsion features, which may be more effective and reasonable. In this paper, the motion patterns of aquatic animals are divided into four categories according to their propulsion mechanisms: drag-based, lift-based, jet-based, and interface-based. And bio-inspired robots imitating aquatic prototypes are introduced and reviewed. Finally, the prospect of aquatic bio-inspired robots is discussed.

Automated summary

With the advancement in camera technology, high-speed cameras have significantly contributed to capturing animal movement and posture, thereby greatly promoting research in experimental biology. Additionally, the growing popularity of bionics among researchers has led to the design of robots incorporating biological features, resulting in increased interest in bio-inspired robots. In comparison to traditional robots, bio-inspired robots mimic the motion patterns of animals to achieve similar propulsion features, which may be more effective and reasonable. This paper categorizes the motion patterns of aquatic animals into four types based on their propulsion mechanisms: drag-based, lift-based, jet-based, and interface-based. It also introduces and reviews bio-inspired robots that imitate aquatic prototypes. Finally, the potential of aquatic bio-inspired robots is discussed.