OmniFish

This repository contains the design files, control code, experimental protocols, datasets, analysis scripts, and CFD simulations developed for OmniFish — a soft robotic fish platform designed to span the full Body–Caudal Fin (BCF) locomotion range.

OmniFish was developed as part of a research project investigating how different fish-inspired body shapes and caudal fin configurations influence swimming kinematics, locomotion performance, and hydrodynamic behavior.

Repository Structure

OmniFish/
│
├── cfd-simulation/                 # CFD simulations of analyzed fish-inspired bodies
│   ├── average/                    # Average body simulation files
│   ├── boxfish/                    # Boxfish-inspired body simulation files
│   ├── eel/                        # Eel-inspired body simulation files
│   ├── mackerel/                   # Mackerel-inspired body simulation files
│   ├── trout/                      # Trout-inspired body simulation files
│   └── tuna/                       # Tuna-inspired body simulation files
│
├── data-and-data-analysis/          # Experimental data and MATLAB analysis scripts
│   ├── data/                       # Raw and experimental datasets
│   ├── KinematicResults.csv        # Kinematic analysis results
│   ├── fin_results.csv             # Fin experiment results
│   ├── swimming_results.csv        # Swimming performance results
│   ├── pairwise_statistics.csv     # Pairwise statistical comparisons
│   ├── within_mode_frequency_statistics.csv
│   ├── drag_simulation.mlx         # Drag simulation analysis
│   ├── kinematic_anlysis.mlx       # Kinematic analysis workflow
│   ├── load_cell_calibration.mlx   # Load cell calibration
│   ├── locomotion_experiments.mlx  # Locomotion experiment analysis
│   ├── oscillating_fin_experiment.mlx
│   └── swim_fin_trim.mlx
│
├── design-files/                   # Mechanical design files for bodies, fins, robot, and setups
│   ├── bodies/                     # Fish-inspired body geometries
│   ├── caudal-fins/                # Caudal fin designs
│   ├── robot/                      # Robot components and assembly files
│   └── setups/                     # Experimental setup design files
│
├── experimental-protocols/          # Protocols for fabrication, testing, and experiments
│
├── fish-specimen-analysis/          # Analysis of biological fish specimens and reference geometries
│
├── robot-control-code/              # Code used to control the soft robotic fish
│
├── LICENSE                         # MIT License
└── README.md

Project Overview

The goal of OmniFish is to provide a soft robotic platform for studying BCF swimming across a wide range of fish-like morphologies.

The repository includes:

• Design files for soft robotic fish bodies and caudal fins
• Robot assembly and experimental setup files
• Robot control code
• Experimental protocols
• Raw and processed experimental data
• MATLAB analysis workflows
• CFD simulations of six analyzed body geometries
• Fish specimen analysis used to inform the body designs

CFD Simulations

The cfd-simulation/ folder contains simulation files for six fish-inspired body geometries:

• Average body
• Boxfish
• Eel
• Mackerel
• Trout
• Tuna

These simulations were used to compare hydrodynamic behavior across different body shapes representative of the BCF locomotion range.

Data and Analysis

The data-and-data-analysis/ folder contains experimental datasets and MATLAB Live Scripts used for processing and analyzing the project results.

Included analysis files cover:

• Swimming kinematics
• Locomotion experiments
• Oscillating fin experiments
• Load cell calibration
• Drag simulation
• Fin trimming and swimming performance
• Statistical comparisons between modes and frequencies

Design Files

The design-files/ folder contains the physical design files for the OmniFish platform.

It is organized into:

• bodies/ — fish-inspired body geometries
• caudal-fins/ — caudal fin designs
• robot/ — robot hardware and assembly components
• setups/ — experimental setups and test fixtures

Experimental Protocols

The experimental-protocols/ folder contains procedures used during the project, including testing, calibration, and experimental workflows.

Robot Control Code

The robot-control-code/ folder contains the code used to actuate and control the OmniFish robot during experiments.

Fish Specimen Analysis

The fish-specimen-analysis/ folder contains files related to the biological reference data and specimen analysis used to inform the robotic body geometries.

Software Requirements

Depending on the part of the repository being used, the following software may be required:

• MATLAB, for data analysis and .mlx live scripts
• Arduino IDE or compatible embedded development tools, for robot control code
• CFD software compatible with the included simulation files (OpenFoam)
• CAD software for viewing or modifying design files

Example Workflow

1. Select or modify a fish-inspired body geometry from design-files/bodies/.
2. Select a caudal fin design from design-files/caudal-fins/.
3. Manufacture and assemble the robot using files in design-files/robot/.
4. Use the protocols in experimental-protocols/ to run experiments.
5. Control the robot using code from robot-control-code/.
6. Analyze the collected data using scripts in data-and-data-analysis/.
7. Compare experimental results with CFD simulations in cfd-simulation/.

License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License.