The researchers designed their bio-inspired robotic fish to mimic
the tail propulsion of a swimming fish, and conducted experiments at
varying tail beat frequencies and flow speeds. In nature, fish positioned
at the front of a school beat their tails with greater frequency, creating
a wake in which their followers gather. The followers display a notably
slower frequency of tail movement, leading researchers to believe that
the followers are enjoying a hydrodynamic advantage from the leaders’
efforts.In an attempt to create a robotic leader, Marras and Porfiri placed
their robot in a water tunnel with a golden shiner school. First, they
allowed the robot to remain still, and unsurprisingly, the “dummy”
fish attracted little attention. When the robot simulated the familiar
tail movement of a leader fish, however, members of the school assumed
the behavior patterns they exhibit in the wild, slowing their tails
and following the robotic leader.
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