Rays are fascinating sea creatures. Experts consider them to be perfectionists in underwater flying and gliding. Their fin beats in the water resemble the wing beats of a bird in the air. Their wave-shaped movements form an optimum of maximum propulsion with minimum energy consumption. The flow-optimized shape allows the manta ray in particular to move elegantly and makes it a real underwater acrobat.
For the central propulsion and control unit of the Aqua_ray we rely on the Fluidic Muscle: two counter-rotating muscle pairs in combination with the Fin Ray Effect® form the beating wing drive in both wings. The structure with Fin Ray Effect® is a design derived from the functional anatomy of the fish fin. It makes it possible to imitate the fin propulsion of the natural role model almost perfectly.