Propulsion

Oceanography

Geology

Engineering

Aerospace engineering

Artificial intelligence

Biomimetics

Nanotechnology

Ecology

Materials science

Marine engineering

Soft robotics

Jellyfish

Robotics

Computer science

Simulation

Biology

Robot

Underwater

Soft Robotics

Jellyfish have attracted worldwide attention owing to their fantastic moving styles, which also inspired development in soft robotics to meet the demands of underwater surveillance. In this study, a soft robotic jellyfish integrated liquid metal coil, and magnetic field is proposed for the first time to mimic the soft rowing propulsion of oblate jellyfish. The soft robotic jellyfish is actuated by the entirely soft electromagnetic actuators that enabled the gentle motion. Through conceptual experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations, we systematically interpreted the mechanism of this robotic jellyfish and various factors to dominate its movement behaviors, which involve vortex formation and ascending modalities. Besides, underwater monitoring and bio-friendliness of robotic jellyfish were also demonstrated to illustrate its potential application scenarios and gentle motion characteristics. This study will help to broaden the vistas for liquid metal enabled bionic robotics in a wide range of underwater applications.

LM-Jelly: Liquid Metal Enabled Biomimetic Robotic Jellyfish