Due to extreme and unpredictable conditions, oceanic missions are still a persistent challenge in robotics. With the aim of improving decision autonomy and robustness against unforeseen circumstances, the EU-funded CoCoRo project is developing a cognitive swarm of underwater robots. Swarm and cognition algorithms will be studied and validated with a large number of miniaturized and affordable AUVs, named Jeff, whose custom mechanical design is described in this paper. Jeff is conceived for high-mobility in 3D cluttered environments and has distributed sensors for multi-directional perception and communication. The propulsion and the buoyancy systems are designed with watertight and energetically efficient solutions to improve system reliability and energetic autonomy. The manuscript also describes the design of a docking system that allows Jeff to passively align and connect to a submerged docking station for battery charging.

The bioinspired approach has been key in combining the disciplines of robotics with neuroscience in an effective and promising fashion. Indeed, certain aspects in the field of neuroscience, such as goal-directed locomotion and behaviour selection, can be validated through robotic artefacts. In particular, swimming is a functionally important behaviour where neuromuscular structures, neural control architecture and operation can be replicated artificially following models from biology and neuroscience. In this article, we present a biomimetic system inspired by the lamprey, an early vertebrate that locomotes using anguilliform swimming. The artefact possesses extra- and proprioceptive sensory receptors, muscle-like actuation, distributed embedded control and a vision system. Experiments on optimised swimming and on goal-directed locomotion are reported, as well as the assessment of the performance of the system, which shows high energy efficiency and adaptive behaviour. While the focus is on providing a robotic platform for testing biological models, the reported system can also be of major relevance for the development of engineering system applications.

This paper describes the development of a new biorobotic platform inspired by the lamprey. Design, fabrication and implemented control are all based on biomechanical and neuroscientific findings on this eel-like fish. The lamprey model has been extensively studied and characterized in recent years because it possesses all basic functions and control mechanisms of higher vertebrates, while at the same time having fewer neurons and simplified neural structures. The untethered robot has a flexible body driven by compliant actuators with proprioceptive feedback. It also has binocular vision for vision-based navigation. The platform has been successfully and extensively experimentally tested in aquatic environments, has high energy efficiency and is ready to be used as investigation tool for high level motor tasks.

Morphology, perception and locomotion are three key features highly inter-dependent in robotics. This paper gives an overview of an underwater modular robotic platform equipped with a bio-inspired electric sense. The platform is reconfigurable in the sense that it can split into independent rigid modules and vice-versa. Composed of 9 modules, the longer entity can swim like an eel over long distances, while once detached, each of its modules is efficient for small displacements with a high accuracy. Challenges are to mechanically ensure the morphology changes and to do it automatically. Electric sense is used to guide the modules during docking phases and to navigate in unknown scenes. Several aspects of the design of the robot are described and a particular attention is paid to the inter-module docking system. The feasibility of the design is assessed through experiments.

In this paper the development of a bio-robotic platform is described. The robot design exploits biomechanical and neuroscientific knowledge on the lamprey, an eel-like swimmer well studied and characterized thanks to the reduced complexity of its anatomy. The robot is untethered, has a compliant body, muscle-like high efficiency actuators, proprioceptive sensors to detect stretch and stereoscopic vision. Experiments on the platform are reported, including robust and autonomous goal-directed swimming. Extensive experiments have been possible thanks to very high energy efficiency (around five hour continuous operating) the platform is ready to be used as investigation tool for high level motor tasks.

The work reported in this paper addresses the devel opment of soft bodied robots for adaptive interacti on with the environment and for increased energy effic i n y, thanks to intrinsic body properties and to s torage of mechanical energy. Swimming locomotion has been chosen as elective fie ld, because of an active research framework (European research project “Lampetra” [1] on eel-li ke artefacts) and because of an easy-to-tackle configuration (i.e. buoyancy eliminating gravity). A novel, muscle-like actuation is presented and exp erimentally validated through a prototype of flexib le, high-efficiency swimming robot. Several works on th e development of flexible robots have been describe d n literature, such as inchworms or earthworms [2-3], snakes [4] and caterpillars [5]. In particular, reg arding the implementation of autonomous fish-like robots, some articles were published focusing on innovative actuation like shape memory alloys (SMA) [6], piezo lectric materials [7], electroactive polymers [8] and pneumatics [9]. A previous work on a flexible bioin spired robot [10] has been presented by SSSA, based on solenoid actuators. The purpose of that work was to implement a wired robotic platform able to replica te bioinspired actuation in terms of force-displacemen t r lation, but energy efficiency was poor and the system was wired. Conversely a wireless fish-like robot is considered in this paper, exploiting a novel actua tion concept with both muscle-like actuation and high en ergy efficiency.

exploited in a large variety of platforms. This paper gives an overview of the design of an innovative modular underwater robot with bio-inspired electric sense. The system is developed in order to investigate how different morphologies allow to improve the perception of the environment. One critical issue in modular robotics is the design of the docking system between modules. An innovative design to solve this problem is developed and validated. The system uses self-alignment through permanent magnets and a mechanical connection.