Lateral flow interactions enhance speed and stabilize formations of flapping swimmers
Joel W. Newbolt, Jun Zhang, Leif Ristroph
Abstract
A swimming fish leaves behind an orderly pattern of vortices, but schools of fish are not ordered into lattice arrangements. Our experiments on robotic hydrofoils show how flapping swimmers can benefit from hydrodynamic interactions and stay in a school even without specific positioning relative to neighbors.
Topics & Concepts
FlappingVortexFish <Actinopterygii>Flow (mathematics)MechanicsMarine engineeringLattice (music)GeologySimulationPhysicsComputer scienceAerospace engineeringFisheryAcousticsBiologyEngineeringWingBiomimetic flight and propulsion mechanismsMicro and Nano RoboticsRobotic Locomotion and Control