Penguins have evolved to swim underwater. They are capable of high-speed foraging, agile maneuver, and deep diving by the flapping wings, that can be a promising model for biomimetic underwater robots in the future. The biomechanics and hydrodynamics studies of penguin swimming, however, are sparse to date, remaining the details of the propulsion mechanism unclear. In this talk, the first 3-D motion analysis of swimming penguins at an aquarium will be explained. Quasi-steady hydrodynamic calculation suggests that the wing deformation perhaps contribute to thrust generation. Then, an electric 3-DoF penguin-mimetic wing and its hydrodynamic experiment in a water tunnel will be demonstrated. By active control of each motion, magnitude and direction of the thrust largely change. The above biomimetic approach can contribute to both biology and engineering in swimming penguins.
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