CHINA has achieved a significant milestone by utilizing a bionic submersible to monitor coral reef growth in the South China Sea. The achievement was spearheaded by a team from the School of Marine Science and Technology at the Northwestern Polytechnical University, China Central Television reported. They developed a biomimetic soft-bodied submersible shaped like a manta ray. The team has been researching the bionic submersible since 2016, breaking through key technologies such as bionic fluid shape optimization design and the fluid-structure coupling simulation of pectoral fin flapping, integrated propulsion design with sliding and flapping during motion, and smooth switching control of high-similarity multimodal motion. The team has launched the latest developed 30kg and 720kg types of biomimetic manta ray soft-body diving robots, thus establishing a lineage of bionic intelligent diving robots ranging from flexible small-scale to functional large-scale. (Global Times) | 