EFRI-BSBA: Multifunctional materials exhibiting distributed actuation, sensing, and control: Uncovering the hierarchical control of fish for developing smarter materials

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EFRI-BSBA: Multifunctional materials exhibiting distributed actuation, sensing, and control: Uncovering the hierarchical control of fish for developing smarter materialsPI Name: Michael PhilenInstitution: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityProposal No. 0938043Abstract Fish have a remarkable ability to maneuver in tight places, perform stable high acceleration maneuvers, hover efficiently, and quickly brake as a result of a complex muscular system that comprises more than half of the body mass. Additionally, fish have an extraordinary ability to sense minuscule changes in fluid flow through neuromasts in the lateral line which has been shown to allow fish to detect, localize, and track prey, perform synchronized schooling maneuvers, provide feedback control for efficient locomotion, and form hydrodynamic images of the environment which enable the fish to characterize entities in the vicinity. However, there is still very little understanding of the structure and organization of the hierarchical control systems or of how these actuation and sensing systems are integrated to perform steady and maneuvering locomotor tasks. Furthermore, there has been little effort to transform the biological concepts related to the sensing, actuation, and control of fish into truly bioinspired and biomimetic engineered materials and systems. This research aims to identify and theoretically describe the computational processing performed at the local sensory level for muscle activation and vertebral-stiffness modulation along the tail structure of fish for locomotion. Through a series of interdisplinary engineered experiments, the research seeks to understand (a) the ability of fish to actively modulate the mechanical properties of the tail via muscle recruitment, (b) how swimming gaits are regulated by a hierarchy of control systems that involve the visual, vestibular, and neuromast sensory systems, and (c) how hydrodynamic stimuli to the lateral line neuromasts directly influence the mechanical properties of the tail. An advanced multifunctional material system having distributed actuation and sensing will be developed to serve as a platform for validation and to provide greater understanding of the biology of these systems. The new material system will utilize innovative artificial neuromasts (sensors) and muscles (actuators) that are distributed and arranged as inspired by the configuration found in fish. The artificial neuromast will consist of a cluster of nanowires acting as hairs attached to ionic polymer artificial neurons to create robust, flexible, sensitive, and dynamically responsive sensors for fluid flow detection. The biologically inspired actuation provided by the multifunctional material utilizes a distribution of micron flexible matrix composite actuators in the material system. Through coupling of the biological and engineering experiments of the fish and artificial material system, the interdisplinary team will work together to develop a new framework for observing, identifying, and predicting the sensorimotor behavior of fish for locomotion and stiffness modulation. This research will advance the state-of-the-art development of multifunctional materials, leading to new structures that can intelligently sense and actuate a network of distributed robust sensors and actuators. Pioneer efforts include developing an advanced material system using nanotechnology and advanced composite technology, fabricating hierarchically structured sensors, creating new tools for bio-engineering investigations, and instigating a paradigm shift in the understanding of the organization and structure of the hierarchical control fish use for sensing and maneuvering. Through collaborative efforts, an intellectual framework for education in K-12 classrooms, undergraduate research, and recruitment of minorities will be developed and implemented. One goal of the proposed education plan is to achieve broad impact on students? learning through dissemination of knowledge through K-12 programs at Harvard?s Museum of Natural History. A traveling exhibit will be developed on robotic fish that showcases the biology of aquatic propulsion, new actuator and sensing technologies and how these can be integrated to design a robotic fish. Assessment will establish measurable learning objectives and provide data on learning and improvement of the educational modules.