Design and Development of a Novel Soft Valve and Energy-Storage Mechanism for High-Power Underwater Robotic Pulse-Jet Propulsion

Soft robots have many unique qualities, such as adaptability and robustness that make them attractive for applications in delicate environments that may impact natural ecosystems. Underwater soft robots are a growing area of research that aims to exploit these qualities for applications such as environmental monitoring or inspection in places like coral reefs or natural settings. In the interest of expanding this area of study and developing opportunities within aquatic environments, this thesis describes the design, development, and testing of a novel soft valve system with an energy-storage membrane to enable high-power jet propulsion for locomotion. The presented system aims to impose minimal impact or risk to these settings by developing this propulsion system\textbf{,} which offers a novel alternative to spinning propellors most often used in underwater vehicles. The valve operates based on deforming and buckling principles and applying force via a pinch thruster mechanism to achieve a controlled opening. Experimental testing was conducted on the novel valve to evaluate different characteristics of the valve such as shape, material, thickness, and size. Valve characterization results demonstrated that the maximum holding pressure and force required to deform and buckle the valve, vary with different characteristics. The valve was then integrated into a unit with a pinch thruster mechanism and diaphragm, which was added to a robot prototype as a proof of concept. Additional testing assessed thrust force, swimming distance, and speed in a water tank. The robot demonstrated a maximum thrust force of 0.8 N, a maximum swimming speed of up to 3.8 cm/s, and a maximum distance travelled of 24 cm. The valve design and the energy-storage membrane hold promise to be implemented into a single small robust unit used in multi-directional robots in the future.

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Habib, Mikael

Advisor dc:contributor.supervisor

• Robertson, Matthew

• Soft Robotics
• Robotics
• Soft valve
• Underwater soft robotics
• One-directional robot
• Underwater pulse-jet propulsion robot

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1974/34278

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:queensu.scholaris.ca:1974/34278