An Origami Flexiball-Inspired Soft Robotic Jellyfish

Abstract

Both the biomimetic design based on marine life and the origami-based design are recommended as valuable paths for solving conceptual and design problems. The insights into the combination of the two manners inspired this research: an origami polyhedra-inspired soft robotic jellyfish. The core idea of the story is to leverage the deformation mechanism of the origami metamaterial to approximate the jet-propelled swimming behavior of the prolate medusae. First, four possible variants of origami polyhedra were compared by the hydrodynamic simulation method to determine a suitable model for the soft body of robotic jellyfish. Second, the mathematical model for the jet propulsion performance of the soft origami body was built, and the diameter of the jet nozzle was determined through the simulation method. Third, the overall configuration and the rope-motor-driven driving method of the soft robotic jellyfish were presented, and the prototype was developed. The experimental work of jet swimming, thrust forces measurement, and cost of transport further demonstrated the presented soft robotic jellyfish. In addition, the prospective directions were also discussed to improve maneuverability, sensory perception, and morphological improvement. Due to the advantages, including but not limited to, the concise structure, low cost, and ease of manufacture, we anticipate the soft robotic jellyfish can serve for the ecological aquatic phenomena monitoring and data collection in the future.