Guidance and control of fish shoals using biomimetic robots

Engineering designs of robots and control systems are often inspired by nature. Recently developed biomimetic robots are barely distinguishable from their animal counterparts. Many cooperative control algorithms for multivehicle teams and mobile sensor networks directly stem from a mathematical understanding of the collective behavior of animal groups. Schooling of fish, flocking of birds, herding of social ungulates, and patterns of traffic flow in human crowds have inspired algorithms for coordinating robotic systems. However, the relationship between engineering and nature has been largely one-directional: engineers borrow ideas from nature to build more efficient, more appealing, and better performing robotic systems for use in traditional human-centered applications. In this talk, we discuss recent research findings at the Dynamical Systems Laboratory of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University on engineered guidance and control of fish shoals through biomimetic robotic fish. More specifically, the talk covers: i) analysis and observations of fish-robots interactions; ii) design and development of a miniature remotely controlled robotic fish that utilizes ionic polymer metal composite for silent locomotion; iii) mathematical modeling of group behavior of schools of gregarious fish in presence of robots; and iv) outreach to K-12 students in Brooklyn on robotics and marine biology.