Metachronal paddle powered remote underwater vehicle: Final design report

Abstract

Our group was tasked with designing a remote paddle powered underwater vehicle that primary means of propulsion was produced by metachronal motion. Metachronal motion is a wave pattern created by sequential motion of structures. Dr. Santhanakrishnan worked to emulate shrimp and krill who utilize this type of motion to swim. He and Mitchell ford successful proved that this type of motion can be accomplished by man made vehicles, although their model was limited. This report details the engineering design process for the vehicle we designed. Ours is a small (10.5" x 12.75" x 2.31") craft that weighs roughly 7.4lbs and is capable of moving independently through water. Simulations for our design show that it is capable of reaching a top speed of just over 0.5 m/s and accelerates to that top speed within one body length of the craft.