``Finnegan'' is an agile and aggressively maneuvering biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle, propelled entirely with biologically inspired oscillating foils. The field of biomimetic robotics attempts to observe, adapt and apply the design and behavior of biological examples to improve the performance of man-made devices. Biomimetic propulsion in general, and oscillating foils in particular, have been extensively studied as a possible means for improvement of underwater vehicle agility and maneuverability.
The objective of the work is to prove the ability of rolling and twisting foils to improve the maneuvering performance of AUVs, as defined by the turning radius and turning rate at speed, while simultaneously providing the agility to control six degrees of freedom at low speed in confined space. In developing Finnegan, we take advantage of a growing body of knowledge into the ``why?'' and ``how?'' of fish, bird, reptile and mammal swimming to extend the state of the art in underwater vehicles, demonstrating tangible results from a biomimetic approach.
--Stephen Licht, April 2008
