Course syllabus for Bio-inspired microswimmers: Design, control and morphing structures

Course syllabus adopted 2026-03-16 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameBioinspirerade mikrosimmare: design, styrning och morfande strukturer
  • CodeTRA540
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTRACKS
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • DepartmentTRACKS
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language

    English

  • Application code

    97195

  • Maximum participants

    30 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)

  • Minimum participants

    8

  • Open for exchange students

    Yes

Credit distribution

Module
Sp1
Sp2
Sp3
Sp4
Summer
Not Sp
Examination dates
0126 Project 7.5 c
Grading: TH		3.8 c3.7 c

In programmes

Examiner

Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)

Course specific prerequisites

In addition to the general requirements to study at the second-cycle level at Chalmers, necessary subject or project specific prerequisite competences (if any) must be fulfilled. Alternatively, the student must obtain the necessary competences during the course. The examiner will formulate and check these prerequisite competences.

Background in at least one of the following: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control Theory, or Applied Physics. Basic proficiency in CAD (e.g., SolidWorks) or programming (Python/MATLAB) is highly recommended. Experience with lab work is an advantage.

Aim

The course provides a platform to work and solve challenging cross-disciplinary authentic problems from different stakeholders in society such as the academy, industry or public institutions. Additionally, the aim is that students from different educational programs practice working efficiently in multidisciplinary development teams

The aim is to provide a platform for solving interdisciplinary problems in bio-inspired underwater robotics. By focusing on "Flapping Soft-Fin Microswimmers" (FSFM), students will practice working in multidisciplinary teams to design, simulate, and build functional microswimmers. Students will learn to integrate complex fluid-structure interactions, soft morphing materials, and AI-driven autonomous control systems to solve authentic challenges in marine monitoring and the "Blue Economy."

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • critically and creatively identify and/or formulate advanced architectural or engineering problems.
  • master problems with open solutions spaces which includes being able to handle uncertainties and limited information.
  • lead and participate in the development of new products, services, processes and/or systems by following a design process and/or a systematic development process.
  • Communicate and convey information, problems, methods, and development processes, both orally and in writing
  • Explain the foundational principles of underwater propulsion, including non-dimensional correlations such as Reynolds and Strouhal numbers.
  • Design and synthesize a morphing soft-fin mechanism that balances structural flexibility with propulsive efficiency.
  • Construct a functional palm-sized microswimmer prototype utilizing FUSE lab facilities and the Marine Technology lab.
  • Evaluate and compare the performance of conventional PID controllers against Machine Learning (ML/DRL) aided control strategies.
  • Analyze experimental data from water tank tests to quantify performance indicators such as speed, maneuverability, and power consumption.

Content

The course explores the intersection of underwater vehicles, robotics, biology, and oceanography through the development of the full lifecycle of a Flapping Soft-Fin Microswimmer (FSFM). Key topics include bio-mimetic propulsion (flapping wings), the physics of morphing structures, waterproof electronics integration. Technical components involve Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI), Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) for autonomous navigation, and soft-material fabrication. Students work in Locomotion (coordinated movement/AI), Propulsion (fin mechanics), Sensing (data/feedback), and Monitoring (application/ocean data) to deliver a collective fleet of functional microswimmers.

Organisation

The course is run by a teaching team.

The main part of the course is a challenge driven project. The challenge may range from being broad societal to profound research driven. The project task is solved in a group. The course is supplemented by teaching and learning of the skills necessary for the project. The project team will have one university examiner, one or a pole of university supervisors and one or a pole of external co-supervisors if applicable.

We organise the course around one shared prototype (the FSFM) and cross-functional project teams, so differences in prior educational backgrounds become assets.
  1. Teams will be formed in a background-ware base. Each 2-5 person team is composed to mix competencies (electrical/control, energy systems, fluid/solid mechanics, transportation/systems, physics, testing). Teams take responsibility for clearly defined subsystems of the microswimmer (e.g., soft-fin mechanism; actuation & power; sensing & control; hydrodynamics/FSI & testing).
  2. A model of role + shadow-role will be set within a team. Every student has a primary role (depth in their home discipline) and a shadow role (breadth in a neighbouring area). This ensures both expertise and cross-pollination.
  3. Role mapping is listed as "discipline: roles" as follows, while it could be adjusted according to the real situation.
    • Fluid/Solid Mechanics: hydrodynamics & FSI estimates, entry-level FE/CFD/FSI, load/stability checks, test design.
    • Electrical Engineering: actuator/driver selection, power budgeting, wiring/EMC, embedded implementation.
    • Control/ML: baseline PID, simple ML-aided controller, sim-to-tank transfer, performance analysis.
    • Materials: soft skins, compliant hinges, sealing/adhesives, durability.
    • Energy Systems: energy use, cost of transport, efficiency trade-offs.
    • Transportation/Systems: requirements, risk & safety, verification plan, integration logistics.
    • Testing: test plans, microphone/DAQ setup, performance trade-offs, data quality.
  4. Interface agreements will be defined and maintained. Each team will publish concise interface agreements (geometry, power, signals, data). System-integration workshops will be scheduled to assemble subsystems, run interface tests, and resolve issues in coordinated meetings.
  5. Design/simulation checkpoints will be used before fabrication. Teams will present first-order predictions (hand calculations or entry-level simulation) and a minimal test plan; passing the checkpoint will authorize build time. This will create shared understanding and reduce rework.
  6. Teach-backs, role rotations, and peer reviews will be conducted in weekly plenary meetings, where short teach-backs (10-15 min) will translate decisions across disciplines and cross-team design reviews. A mid-term workshop will allow students to experience a neighbouring role.
  7. Common performance measures and a shared data schema will be adopted. All teams will test against the same compact performance measures set (e.g., speed, turning radius/rate, power) and will log results in a simple shared format, enabling comparison and integration.
  8. Assessment will value depth and integration. Rubrics will combine (i) role-specific contributions, (ii) quality of system integration (interfaces, version control, test evidence), and (iii) clarity of cross-disciplinary communication in the demo/report.

This organisation lets students apply their own background deeply, learn adjacent disciplines in context, and experience genuine interdisciplinary engineering from concept to integrated prototype.

Weekly Routine:
  • Lectures: One 2-hour session per week covering theoretical foundations and guest lectures.
  • Group Dynamics: Weekly internal discussions and sync-meetings with the teaching team.
  • Monthly Reviews: Cross-group "Project Review Meetings" to exchange inputs, outputs, and resolve technical interfaces.
You will utilize the FUSE lab for fabrication and the M2 Marine Technology Lab for final water tank testing and performance validation.
The course combines:
  • Design and reduced-order engineering analysis
  • Entry-level FSI simulations
  • Embedded control implementation (PID and ML-assisted approaches)
  • Laboratory prototyping and water tank experiments
  • System integration workshops
The final deliverables include a functional prototype, reproducible technical artefacts (CAD, code, data), a concise technical report, and an oral presentation.

Literature

With input from the teaching team, students will develop the ability to identify and acquire relevant literature throughout their projects.

Examination including compulsory elements

At the beginning of the course, each group is required to establish a group contract and preliminary project plan. In the end, each group is required to submit a final technical report following the format of the master's thesis report requirements at Chalmers, and to make an oral presentation of 20 minutes (15-min presentation + 5-min QA).

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.