Experimental Research on a Water-Jumping Robotic Dolphin Based on Modular Design

Research on underwater bionic robotic fish is a major focus in the field of robotics. However, there is still a lack of research on the cross-media movement near the water surface of robotic fish. This paper conducts the experimental research of a water-jumping bionic robotic dolphin. Following the principle of modular design, the body structure of the robotic dolphin is designed from five parts: head, pitch, body, tail, and tail fin. Also, the robotic dolphin’s control system is designed, a hardware platform is built from the four modules of decision-making, communication, execution, and perception, and the propulsion algorithm is designed based on experimental requirements. Finally, an experimental platform is built and experimental research on the robotic dolphin is conducted. The results show that the jumping height of the robotic dolphin increases with the increase of the tail fin swing frequency, first increasing and then decreasing with the increase of the tail fin swing amplitude, and increases with the increase of the water-jumping angle. When the swing frequency is 2.5Hz, the swing amplitude is 30° degree and the water-jumping angle is 55°, the water outlet height reaches the maximum value.