We have successfully designed and developed an underwater experimental platform for studying the dynamic behavior and performance of a novel submersible, which is propelled by the synergistic combination of jet action and oscillatory motion of a fluid-conveying flexible tail. The submersible, which we have named the Synergistically Propelled Ichthyoid, or SPI, ingests water through an orifice in its fore-body and expels it through a jet located at the rear end of the tail. The fluid flow through the flexible tail induces flutter instability and generates a traveling wave along the length of the tail. A single prime mover in the form of a pump is used for propulsion but the thrust is generated by the combination of jet action and jet-induced tail oscillations. The submersible has been designed to accommodate prime movers for propulsion and buoyancy control, sensors for feedback control, and active and passive fin assortments for maneuvering and stability. In addition, the submersible has a data acquisition system and on-board computing platform for autonomous and semi-autonomous operation. With over 30 hours of underwater testing we have converged on a design that is robust and dependable for further experimental research. This platform is ideally suited for investigating thrust and efficiency characteristics of the tail waveform for different tail designs and is expected to provide clues for design of rapid tail-assisted maneuvers.
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