Design and Analysis for the Axe Foot of Bio-inspired Anchoring Robot

Mooring location has become increasingly important with the rapid development and utilization of marine resources. The mooring system of the underwater mobile robot is required to be efficient and intelligent. This paper proposes a novel anchoring robot by imitating the excellent inhabitation functions and physiological structure of the razor clam. This bio-inspired robot can autonomously dig holes, anchor, and detach to improve the efficiency of mooring location in marine operations. Specifically, the axe foot of the robot plays an important role in these movements. It contains a screw-cone drill and two soft parts. The screw-cone drill is the main forced part while the robot is in the digging state and the rationality of drill design is proved by mechanics analysis. Moreover, the soft part, which is connected with the upper end of the drill, is analyzed to show the capability of obstacle avoidance. The rationality of the structural design and a good submarine anchoring function of the axe foot are verified by the above analysis.