Experimental investigation of a planar robotic swimmer with a passive elastic joint

This research presents an experimental investigation of a planar robotic swimmer with a passive elastic joint. Bio-inspired robotic swimmers have been widely studied as a means of understanding aquatic locomotion and developing efficient underwater robotic systems. Previous studies investigated fully actuated inertia-driven three-link and five-link robotic swimmers, as well as a three-link swimmer incorporating one actuated and one passive joint. However, the experimental results and underlying mechanisms of passive-joint locomotion have not been thoroughly documented in the literature. Furthermore, a mathematical model and numerical simulations developed within our research group produced results that contradicted theoretical predictions, motivating the need for a renewed experimental study.