Robotic Sea Turtles Possess Unique Gait Characteristics

Wednesday - August 9 2023, 13:31 UTC - 1 year ago

Engineers at the University of Notre Dame created a robotic sea turtle possessing their unique gait characteristics. The robot contains an electronic control unit, a multi-sensor device, a battery and four individually radio-controlled flippers molded from silicone. The team employed 3D printing technique to produce body structure and flipper connectors. The robot could be used to protect baby sea turtles from predators, debris and waste, navigating the hatchlings to safety in the ocean.

Sea turtles are well-known for their ability to swim across ocean water and traverse easily through rough land terrains such as rocks and sand. Inspired by this skill, engineers at the University of Notre Dame created a robotic sea turtle possessing their unique gait characteristics. "The sea turtle's unique body shape, the morphology of their flippers, and their varied gait patterns make them very adaptable," said Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the university, in an official release. Ozkan-Aydin added: "Mimicking this adaptability is challenging because it requires an intricate understanding of how morphology, flexibility, and gait interact with the environment. Studying how sea turtles adapt their gaits to traverse complex and varied terrains can help us design more versatile robots." The main parts of the robot include an oval-shaped body, four individually radio-controlled flippers, an inbuilt electronic control unit, a multi-sensor device, and a battery. The team employed the 3D printing technique to produce body structure and flipper connectors using hard polymer. The flippers are molded from silicone to provide both flexibility and stiffness.

The researchers evaluated the locomotive flexibility of this robotic sea turtle prototype on the Notre Dame campus's various surface settings. The robot could be used to protect baby sea turtles, as hatchlings need to protect themselves from predators, including sea birds, on their way from the nest to the ocean. To protect them from the debris and waste and the disorienting landscape of beach development, the team designed the robot after carefully studying the size and structure of sea turtle hatchlings. "Our hope is to use these baby sea turtle robots to safely guide sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean and minimize the risks they face during this critical period," Ozkan-Aydin said.