Surfing vortex rings for energy-efficient propulsion.

ABSTRACT: Leveraging background fluid flows for propulsion has the potential to enhance the range and speed of autonomous aerial and underwater vehicles. In this work, we demonstrate experimentally a fully autonomous strategy for exploiting vortex rings for energy-efficient propulsion. First, an underwater robot used an onboard inertial measurement unit (IMU) to sense the motion induced by the passage of a vortex ring generated by a thruster in a 13,000-L water tank. In response to the sensed acceleration, an impulsive maneuver entrained the robot into the material boundary of the vortex ring. After entrainment, the robot was propelled across the tank without expending additional energy or control effort. By advecting with the vortex ring, the robot achieved a nearly fivefold reduction in the energy

SUBMITTER: Gunnarson P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11852338 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature