Video Contest Judging for the Seventh Annual Art of Science
Below you will find the video and the caption. Please complete the rubric to the right, and click submit for your score to be entered. Each question on the rubric is based on a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. We also encourage your comments on the videos, as this is used as a way to give feedback, and possible quotes for publication.
Taking A Free Ride
This video is a visual representation of the flow field when swimming behind an obstacle. The flat plate, when subjected to a steady flow, sheds alternating vortices that create a region of negative velocity. A neutrally buoyant resin model of a bio-inspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was attached through an acrylic flat plate by fishing line. This enables controlled adjustment of the distance from the plate within a water flume. In this video the resin model is at a distance where it can enter the region of negative velocity and accelerates towards the flat plate ahead. Insights from this experiment can be used to reduce power used for propulsion in AUV's traveling on a formation extending mission duration and improving energy efficiency for underwater research applications.