Research on Target Localization Method for Underwater Robot Based on the Bionic Lateral Line System of Fish

Area of Science:

• Biomimetics and Robotics
• Hydrodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• The fish lateral line system is a unique biological sensory organ crucial for detecting water movement.
• Understanding the sensing mechanism of the lateral line is key to developing advanced underwater detection systems.
• Existing methods for underwater target localization often face challenges in complex flow environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the coupling relationship between flow field sensing signals and target source position information.
• To develop and validate a novel underwater target localization method inspired by the fish lateral line sensing mechanism.
• To assess the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed localization approach.

Main Methods:

• Construction of an equivalent multipole model for underwater target flow field disturbance.
• Development of a target localization function using the least squares method and potential flow theory.
• Optimization of the residual function for target localization using the quasi-Newton method (QN).
• Fabrication of a curved bionic lateral line sensing array on a robotic fish.

Main Results:

• The study successfully estimated the position of an underwater target source using the developed localization method.
• The bionic lateral line sensing array on the robotic fish effectively captured flow field signals.
• The proposed method demonstrated effectiveness and robustness in localizing underwater targets, validating the role of pressure changes in lateral line sensing.

Conclusions:

• The fish lateral line sensing mechanism, particularly pressure changes, can be effectively utilized for underwater target localization.
• The developed bionic lateral line system and localization algorithm offer a promising approach for biomimetic underwater sensing.
• This research contributes to the advancement of underwater robotics and surveillance technologies.