Project Overview
I spent the summer, fall, and IAP working in the Distributed Robotics Laboratory in CSAIL at MIT, working with soft robotics. DRL hopes to "develop the science of autonomy toward a future with robots and AI systems integrated into everyday life, supporting people with cognitive and physical tasks." DRL is working on several projects at the moment focused on mechanical design and autonomy.
My Project
For the summer and into the fall, I was working on the SoFi team, furthering the development of a soft robotic fish. The project has numerous practical applications in ocean robotics and serves as an exploration of soft robotic biomimicry. I am working on two projects within the team, fabrication of the silicone fishtails and integrating advanced localization software into the controller. During fabrication, I have been working to produce multiple new tails and develop a repeatable process to produce consistent, high-quality tails using investment casting with bee's wax cores. I have also been integrating an existing wildlife tracking particle filter and an imu to enhance localization capabilities. My work has focused on laying the groundwork for operations utilizing a school of fish and beginning to implement these operations through the fall. I spent IAP writing my undergraduate thesis, titled "MIT SoFi: A Study in Fabrication, Target Tracking, and Control of Soft Robotic Fish."
What I Learned
Working on the SoFi team, I learned a lot about soft robotics, advanced fabrication methods, and localization practices. Mechanically, I learned more about the mechanical design of a system through the lens of soft robotics, a topic that I had previously not encountered. On the software side, I worked with embedded systems again and furthering my knowledge of ROS and general robotic software architecture. Above all else, though, this work has tested my problem-solving process design constraints of an underwater autonomous vehicle present numerous and unforeseen challenges. I also learned how to effectively communicate my academic findings in writing through my undergraduate thesis.
I spent the summer, fall, and IAP working in the Distributed Robotics Laboratory in CSAIL at MIT, working with soft robotics. DRL hopes to "develop the science of autonomy toward a future with robots and AI systems integrated into everyday life, supporting people with cognitive and physical tasks." DRL is working on several projects at the moment focused on mechanical design and autonomy.
My Project
For the summer and into the fall, I was working on the SoFi team, furthering the development of a soft robotic fish. The project has numerous practical applications in ocean robotics and serves as an exploration of soft robotic biomimicry. I am working on two projects within the team, fabrication of the silicone fishtails and integrating advanced localization software into the controller. During fabrication, I have been working to produce multiple new tails and develop a repeatable process to produce consistent, high-quality tails using investment casting with bee's wax cores. I have also been integrating an existing wildlife tracking particle filter and an imu to enhance localization capabilities. My work has focused on laying the groundwork for operations utilizing a school of fish and beginning to implement these operations through the fall. I spent IAP writing my undergraduate thesis, titled "MIT SoFi: A Study in Fabrication, Target Tracking, and Control of Soft Robotic Fish."
What I Learned
Working on the SoFi team, I learned a lot about soft robotics, advanced fabrication methods, and localization practices. Mechanically, I learned more about the mechanical design of a system through the lens of soft robotics, a topic that I had previously not encountered. On the software side, I worked with embedded systems again and furthering my knowledge of ROS and general robotic software architecture. Above all else, though, this work has tested my problem-solving process design constraints of an underwater autonomous vehicle present numerous and unforeseen challenges. I also learned how to effectively communicate my academic findings in writing through my undergraduate thesis.
*not my video and a few years old, but generally demonstrates the fish and scope of the project
