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Main Authors: Choi, Daehyun, Singh, Paras, Bergerson, Ian, Kim, Minho, Park, Jieun, Wallace, Halley J., Zhang, Kenny, Hsieh, Sandy Y., Asberry, Aqua T., Uyeno, Theodore A., Gilly, William F., Park, Hyungmin, Kang, Daeshik, Bose, Chandan, Bhamla, Saad
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.03239
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author Choi, Daehyun
Singh, Paras
Bergerson, Ian
Kim, Minho
Park, Jieun
Wallace, Halley J.
Zhang, Kenny
Hsieh, Sandy Y.
Asberry, Aqua T.
Uyeno, Theodore A.
Gilly, William F.
Park, Hyungmin
Kang, Daeshik
Bose, Chandan
Bhamla, Saad
author_facet Choi, Daehyun
Singh, Paras
Bergerson, Ian
Kim, Minho
Park, Jieun
Wallace, Halley J.
Zhang, Kenny
Hsieh, Sandy Y.
Asberry, Aqua T.
Uyeno, Theodore A.
Gilly, William F.
Park, Hyungmin
Kang, Daeshik
Bose, Chandan
Bhamla, Saad
contents Squid span four orders of magnitude in size yet rely on pulsed jets. We show that the funnel (siphon) is a compliant nozzle whose dilation and recoil lag mantle contraction, storing and returning energy within each pulse, a mechanism we term superpropulsion. Histology reveals a collagen sheath, and chromatophore tracking in two squid species quantifies a repeatable phase lag. Engineered nozzles, 3D fluid-structure simulations, and a reduced-order mathematical model predict > 300% impulse amplification when nozzle response time matches jet acceleration (tau/T = 0.2-0.4), overlapping in vivo timing. Tuned nozzles extend jet reach, enhance plume dispersion, and improve jet-driven boat transport, with gains persisting after 40x miniaturization. Superpropulsion recasts pulsed jets as impedance matching, with a soft nozzle acting as an elastic capacitor that passively shapes impulse delivery in soft robotic thrusters and fluidic actuators.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_03239
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Squid-inspired soft superpropulsion
Choi, Daehyun
Singh, Paras
Bergerson, Ian
Kim, Minho
Park, Jieun
Wallace, Halley J.
Zhang, Kenny
Hsieh, Sandy Y.
Asberry, Aqua T.
Uyeno, Theodore A.
Gilly, William F.
Park, Hyungmin
Kang, Daeshik
Bose, Chandan
Bhamla, Saad
Fluid Dynamics
Squid span four orders of magnitude in size yet rely on pulsed jets. We show that the funnel (siphon) is a compliant nozzle whose dilation and recoil lag mantle contraction, storing and returning energy within each pulse, a mechanism we term superpropulsion. Histology reveals a collagen sheath, and chromatophore tracking in two squid species quantifies a repeatable phase lag. Engineered nozzles, 3D fluid-structure simulations, and a reduced-order mathematical model predict > 300% impulse amplification when nozzle response time matches jet acceleration (tau/T = 0.2-0.4), overlapping in vivo timing. Tuned nozzles extend jet reach, enhance plume dispersion, and improve jet-driven boat transport, with gains persisting after 40x miniaturization. Superpropulsion recasts pulsed jets as impedance matching, with a soft nozzle acting as an elastic capacitor that passively shapes impulse delivery in soft robotic thrusters and fluidic actuators.
title Squid-inspired soft superpropulsion
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.03239