A Biomimetic Squid Funnel Actuated by Shape Memory Alloy Wires

Inspired by the squid’s funnel which can bend flexibly, a kind of biomimetic squid funnel actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires was developed for controlling the jet direction in this article. With the application of Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique, experimental investigation was conducted. And the results show that, the bending angle of the biomimetic squid funnel can be controlled by changing PWM duty cycle and the final stable resistance of SMA wire decreases while the duty cycle is increased. The relationship between the banding angle of the biomimetic squid funnel and the resistance of SMA wire is approximately inverse linear. The feasibility of jet direction control with the biomimetic squid funnel was verified by a simulated jetting experiment.