The Development of a Hybrid Type of Underwater Micro Biped Robot

In the medical field and in industry application, a novel type of micro biped robot with multi DOF that can swim smoothly in water or aqueous medium has urgently been demanded. The fish-like microrobot is one of the micro and miniature devices, which is installed with sensing and actuating elements. This paper describes the new structure and motion mechanism of a hybrid type of underwater microrobot using ICPF actuator, and discusses the swimming and floating possibility of the microrobot in water. Characteristic of the underwater microrobot is measured by changing the frequency and the amplitude of input voltage. The experimental results indicate that the swimming speed of proposed underwater microrobot can be controlled by changing the frequency of input voltage; the moving direction (upward or downward) can be controlled by changing the amplitude and the frequency of input voltage