Bio-inspired Robot Design Considering Load-Bearing and Kinematic Ontogeny of Chelonioidea Sea Turtles

This work explores the physical implications of variation in fin shape and orientation that correspond to ontogenetic changes observed in sea turtles. Through the development of a bio-inspired robotic platform – CTurtle – we show that 1) these ontogenetic changes apparently occupy stable extrema for either load-bearing or high-velocity movement, and 2) mimicry of these variations in a robotic system confer greater load-bearing capacity and energy efficiency, at the expense of velocity (or vice-versa). A possible means of adapting to load conditions is also proposed. We endeavor to provide these results as part of a theoretical framework integrating biological inquiry and inspiration within an iterative design cycle based on laminate robotics.