Median Paired Fin Propulsion used by fishes like knife fish, has the potential to replace current energy inef- ficient underwater propulsion systems. This paper quantizes the efficiency of a fin mechanism based on its ability to incorporate a large number of undulations. Characteristic ellipses of a mechanism were defined, based on which two algorithms were defined to mea- sure the capabilities of the mechanism. The available workspace of the mechanism was optimized to accom- modate the undulation requirements of the robot based on the formulations. Further, the distortion effect on the waveform was identified and the optimization was redefined to obviate its possibility while in operation.
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