RoboTuna

Consider the fish: highly maneuverable and an effortless swimmer, this animal 160 million years in the making is superbly adapted to its watery environs. Now, in work that could lead to mini submarines with similar attributes, MIT engineers have developed the first robotic version of Nature's piscine wonder. In summer 1995 the researchers' original creation, patterned after a bluefin tuna, took its maiden swim down the MIT Testing Tank. That swim and others since have been exciting, reinforcing the engineers' belief that the Lycra-sheathed robot could become an important tool toward understanding the physics of swimming and more. The "robotuna" project began in 1993 with the overall goal of developing a better propulsion system for autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, said Michael S. Triantafyllou, a professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering who is leading the research team. The work is funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Naval Research, the MIT Sea Grant College Program, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and MIT's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

As mentioned above orginal RoboTuna, Charlie I, was build by designer David Barrett in 1995 for his PhD thesis. Tests were performed on with the robot to assess the swimming capabilities of the fish. After five years Charlie I reached the end of its Life Cycle and a new robot was born. This new RoboTuna, designed by David Beal and Michael Sachinis, is founded on a cable-pulley system, like the the original robot, but with several significant modifications.

		View more information on the original RoboTuna, Charlie, including its historic design and report pages, design sketches, and photos.
		View photos of RoboTuna II!