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2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

A Rover for Sperm Whale

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 26630085
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Research Field Intelligent mechanics/Mechanical systems
Research InstitutionYamagata University

Principal Investigator

Tsumaki Yuichi  山形大学, 理工学研究科, 教授 (50270814)

Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha) MORI Kyoichi  帝京科学大学, 生命環境学部, 教授 (20570708)
SATO Katsufumi  東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 教授 (50300695)
AMANO Masao  長崎大学, 大学院水産・環境科学総合研究科, 教授 (50270905)
RINOSHKA Akira  山形大学, 大学院理工学研究科, 教授 (00253906)
Project Period (FY) 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
Keywords知能機械 / 知能ロボティクス / 海洋生態
Outline of Final Research Achievements

To date, nobody had witnessed what happens when a sperm whale eats a giant squid. Recent technology, combining a small video camera and a so-called embedded “biologging system” has great potential to determine various mysteries of zoology. However, for the sperm whale, it is difficult to attach the biologging system to an appropriate area, closed to mouth in the sea.
In this project, to tackle this problem, we introduce robot technology providing mobility for the biologging system. We have applied our environment driven concept to the whale rover, leveraging the stream of water generated by the transportation of the whale itself as propulsion. A prototype has been developed, which comprises two screws and a pair of four suction pads. The screws provide sufficient power to move on the surface of the whale, while the pair of suction pads adsorbs the surface in turn. Its feasibility has been confirmed through fundamental experiments in the water.

Free Research Field

ロボット工学

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Published: 2017-05-10  

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