Info Aqua_ray Water-hydraulic manta ray with flapping-wing drive
A remote-controlled fish 2 X-ray image of the Aqua_ray Aqua_ray without skin acting pairs of muscles. Their force of contraction is transferred by artificial tendons of high-strength Dyneema® cord via spools and sheathstothewings and the tail,whichinturntransformthetendon travelof 55mm intoaverticalwingamplitude of morethan550mm. Through the use of new elastic materials for all moving components and for the 3D-deformable skin,and by matching the elasticity and self-adaptive characteristics of the internal wing and tail structurestothehydrodynamicforces, it has been possible to reproduce the kinematics of nature’s marine model. Water is essential to Aqua_ray’s function,since entirely authenticmovement can only beattainedin combinationwith this medium and itsspecial characteristics. The change in direction of force effected by the tendons makes it possible to relocate the dorsal and thoracic muscles to the side, thus providing more room for energy storage and transformation components along with the control and sensory units. The requirements regarding technology and performance efficiency, e.g. pay-load, could thus be reconciled with the biological advantages of aquatic movement. Analysis of various types of movement through water has established that rays are perfectionists in submarine“flight”and gliding. The up-and-down motion of their flanks in water closely resembles the flapping of a bird’s wings in the air. This wavelike movement perfectlycombinesmaximumpropulsionwithminimumenergy consumption. The streamlined form lends graceful movement to the manta ray,inparticular,andmakesitaveritable submarine acrobat. Aqua_ray is a remote-controlled fish with a water-hydraulic drive unit; its form and kinematics are modelled on the movement patterns of the manta ray. Bionic fluidic muscles from Festo serve as actuators. These largely consist of hollow elastomer tubes with integrated woven aramide fibres. When the fluidic muscle is filled with air or water, its diameterincreasesanditcontractslongitudinally,givingriseto smoothly flowing elastic movement. The fluidic muscle from Festo, in combination with the Fin Ray Effect®,constitutesAqua_ray’scentralpropulsion and control unit. The Fin Ray Effect® is a construction that is derived from the functional anatomy of a fish’s fin and imitates almost perfectly the modeofpropulsionexecutedby the naturalmodel.It is entirely due to the mechanics of the fin ray’s-bony rods that constitute the fin’s supporting structure – that the wing can be arched to ensure even distribution of forces; this makes for a highly efficient drive mechanism. Likeaheart,Aqua_ray’s water-driven central vane cell pump generates the propulsion energy, which is conveyed in the form of pressure via specially developed valves to three antagonistically
3 Aqua_ray can be excellently manoeuvred and can be operated either as a hydrostatic glider or with actively flapping wings. This makes for considerable energy savings. Thanks to its form and its mode of propulsion, Aqua_ray is suitable for application in diverse fields of marine research without disturbance to the natural environment. Aqua_ray’s closed contour and lack of rotating parts such as propellers allow it to be used even in sensitive areas; it is particularly suited to the inspection of pipelines, cables or the sea floor itself. Despite its small frontal area for low flow resistance, its body shape yields a large horizontal surface; Aqua_ray thus makes an idealbioniccarrier module forsonarsystems and othertestprobes. The bionic Aqua_ray with Fin Ray Effect® combines research projects with the products and “patents” of nature into an elegant underwater flying machine characterised by striking manoeuvrability and natural gracefulness. With Aqua_ray, Festo is demonstrating the opportunities that lie in mimicking biological principles. Smoothly flowing muscular movements are transformed into the dynamic flapping of a wing, which propels the artificial manta ray though the water.
Festo AG & Co. KG Ruiter Strasse 82 73734 Esslingen Germany Phone +49 711347-0 Telefax +49 711347-2155 cc@de.festo.com www.festo.com/bionic 50119 EN Project partners Project initiator: Dr. Wilfried Stoll, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Festo AG Concept and design: Dr. Rudolf Bannasch, Leif Kniese, EvoLogics GmbH, Berlin, Germany Mechanical components: Leif Kniese, Frank Prietzel, Jörg Drews, EvoLogics GmbH, Berlin, Germany Hartmut Schwenk, Faculty of Bionics and Evolution Technology, Technical University of Berlin, Germany Electronics and hardware: Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Schulz, Dipl.-Ing. Georgi Pleskach, Dipl.-Ing. Sergey Yakovlev, EvoLogics GmbH, Berlin, Germany Software: Dipl.-Ing. Maxym Komar, Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Schulz, EvoLogics GmbH, Berlin, Germany Dipl.-Ing. Ivo Boblan, Faculty of Bionics and Evolution Technology, Technical University of Berlin, Germany Project manager at Festo AG & Co. KG: Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Markus Fischer, Corporate Design Technical consultants: Dr. Dipl.-Phys., Dipl.-Kfm. Werner Fischer, Munich, Germany Photos: Walter Fogel, Angelbachtal, Germany Carl-Zeiss, 3-D Metrology Services, Aalen, Germany www.zeiss3d.de Technical data Overall length: 61.5 cm Dry chamber: 41.0 cm Overall width: 96.0 cm Dry chamber: 31.0 cm Height: 14.5 cm Weight: approx. 10 kg Materials Torso: fibreglass-reinforced plastic Wings and tail: CURV®, water-jet carved Skin: polyamide with elastan content Drive/control units: A Torcman brushless motor powers a 400l pump, which drives fluidic muscles from Festo, and two servo drive units for orientation of the wings Power rating: 24 V, 10 Ah Maximum speed: approx. 1.8 km/h Minimum flight duration under full load: 30 min. Sensors, diagnosis: 5 angular sensors, 2 force sensors, 1 potentiometer Control: wireless digitally addressable 2-way communication Computing power: 2 units with 10 MIPS at 40 MHz Trademarks: Fin Ray Effect® is a trademark of Evologics GmbH, Berlin, Germany CURV® is a trademark of Propex Fabrics GmbH, Gronau, Germany
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