This Modular Structure Design Makes Aquatic Robots Easier to Build
A team of engineers from MIT designed this modular structural system for deformable underwater robots.
Whenever possible, engineers like to reuse parts. That keeps costs down, because it takes advantage of bulk component pricing. It also simplifies design, because engineers can duplicate design features instead of devising new features. You can see this at work in your 3D printer, which likely uses several identical stepper motors, linear rails, fasteners, and so on. Those same components are also used in many other 3D printer models. That modularity, which didn't exist 20 years ago, was fundamental to driving down the costs of hobbyist 3D printers. For similar reasons, MIT engineers designed a modular structure for aquatic robots.
The engineers demonstrated this modular structure design in a couple of different robots, but that is all they are: demonstrations. Those robots aren't the point, but just a way to showcase the underlying structure. The engineers developed that structure specifically for use in aquatic robotics, which often need to exhibit some flexibility. They saw a need for a modular system that roboticists could use to quickly assemble new robots and this is the result. It is a three-dimensional structure that can be duplicated as many times as necessary to scale to the application.
This structure can be 3D-printed or mass-produced via injection molding and other common fabrication methods. The structure can be passive, in order to provide support and a balance of rigidity and flexibility, but it can also accept servos when the application calls for active manipulation.
Two different demonstrations illustrate how the structure works. The first is a long snake-like robot that gently slithers through water. The second is a wing, like one might see on an airplane or submarine, which can change its own shape. Instead of requiring flaps to alter lift, this structure lets the wing morph itself to achieve the necessary profile. That alone is a very useful application, as the wing can remain completely sealed and smooth.
This modular structure could ultimately end up in many different robots, likely starting with a whale-esque submersible that the team seems to be planning.