Development of a Soft Robotic Fish with Stiffness Modulation and Wriggling Locomotion
Hua Shao, Jiazi Geng, Yiyang Li, Guoyun Lian, Jinfeng Yang, Qiyang Zuo, Yaohui Xu, Fengran Xie
Abstract
Live fish possess the ability to modulate their body stiffness to achieve diverse swimming characteristics, a feature that is largely absent in existing robotic fish designs. Most robotic fish are constrained by rigid or fixed-stiffness bodies, which limit their flexibility, axial modulation capabilities, and ability to navigate confined spaces. This paper presents a novel soft robotic fish capable of stiffness modulation and earthworm-inspired wriggling locomotion. The design incorporates a pneumatic stiffness modulation mechanism, a cable-driven actuation system, and two passive flapping foils near the caudal fin. Two distinct swimming modes are demonstrated: a body and/or caudal fin (BCF) mode with active stiffness modulation and an earthworm-inspired wriggling mode. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed design in both swimming modes. This work advances the development of soft robotic fish by introducing innovative structural and actuation mechanisms, enhancing flexibility and adaptability for future applications in underwater exploration and related fields.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{iros2025_developmentofaso,
title = {Development of a Soft Robotic Fish with Stiffness Modulation and Wriggling Locomotion},
author = {Hua Shao and Jiazi Geng and Yiyang Li and Guoyun Lian and Jinfeng Yang and Qiyang Zuo and Yaohui Xu and Fengran Xie},
booktitle = {IROS 2025},
year = {2025}
}