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Main Authors: Wang, Yita, Chen, Chen, Chen, Yicheng, Li, Jinjie, Motegi, Yuichi, Ohkuma, Kenji, Maki, Toshihiro, Zhao, Moju
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.02851
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author Wang, Yita
Chen, Chen
Chen, Yicheng
Li, Jinjie
Motegi, Yuichi
Ohkuma, Kenji
Maki, Toshihiro
Zhao, Moju
author_facet Wang, Yita
Chen, Chen
Chen, Yicheng
Li, Jinjie
Motegi, Yuichi
Ohkuma, Kenji
Maki, Toshihiro
Zhao, Moju
contents Robotic fish have attracted growing attention in recent years owing to their biomimetic design and potential applications in environmental monitoring and biological surveys. Among robotic fish employing the Body-Caudal Fin (BCF) locomotion pattern, motor-driven actuation is widely adopted. Some approaches utilize multiple servo motors to achieve precise body curvature control, while others employ a brushless motor to drive the tail via wire or rod, enabling higher oscillation and swimming speeds. However, the former approaches typically result in limited swimming speed, whereas the latter suffer from poor maneuverability, with few capable of smooth turning. To address this trade-off, we develop a wire-driven robotic fish equipped with a 2-degree-of-freedom (DoF) crank-slider mechanism that decouples propulsion from steering, enabling both high swimming speed and agile maneuvering. In this paper, we first present the design of the robotic fish, including the elastic skeleton, waterproof structure, and the actuation mechanism that realizes the decoupling. We then establish the actuation modeling and body dynamics to analyze the locomotion behavior. Furthermore, we propose a combined feedforward-feedback control strategy to achieve independent regulation of propulsion and steering. Finally, we validate the feasibility of the design, modeling, and control through a series of prototype experiments, demonstrating swimming, turning, and directional control.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_02851
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Design, Modeling and Direction Control of a Wire-Driven Robotic Fish Based on a 2-DoF Crank-Slider Mechanism
Wang, Yita
Chen, Chen
Chen, Yicheng
Li, Jinjie
Motegi, Yuichi
Ohkuma, Kenji
Maki, Toshihiro
Zhao, Moju
Robotics
Robotic fish have attracted growing attention in recent years owing to their biomimetic design and potential applications in environmental monitoring and biological surveys. Among robotic fish employing the Body-Caudal Fin (BCF) locomotion pattern, motor-driven actuation is widely adopted. Some approaches utilize multiple servo motors to achieve precise body curvature control, while others employ a brushless motor to drive the tail via wire or rod, enabling higher oscillation and swimming speeds. However, the former approaches typically result in limited swimming speed, whereas the latter suffer from poor maneuverability, with few capable of smooth turning. To address this trade-off, we develop a wire-driven robotic fish equipped with a 2-degree-of-freedom (DoF) crank-slider mechanism that decouples propulsion from steering, enabling both high swimming speed and agile maneuvering. In this paper, we first present the design of the robotic fish, including the elastic skeleton, waterproof structure, and the actuation mechanism that realizes the decoupling. We then establish the actuation modeling and body dynamics to analyze the locomotion behavior. Furthermore, we propose a combined feedforward-feedback control strategy to achieve independent regulation of propulsion and steering. Finally, we validate the feasibility of the design, modeling, and control through a series of prototype experiments, demonstrating swimming, turning, and directional control.
title Design, Modeling and Direction Control of a Wire-Driven Robotic Fish Based on a 2-DoF Crank-Slider Mechanism
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.02851