Analysis of a Swimming Micro Robot

This paper models, analyzes and optimizes a novel swimming method for a swimming micro robot. The propulsion is achieved by creating a traveling wave in an elastic tail made of piezo-electric actuators. The novel swimming method was analyzed analytically by solving the coupled elastic/fluidic problem. The parameters that influence swimming were identified and optimized. It was found that under the extreme size limitations a tail manufactured by current MEMS technology is able to swim at the order of several cm/sec in water