Honorable Mention: Swarm Technology

Photo by Michael Boltri, graduate research assistant, FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science

Research into swarm technology is growing and how the parts of the swarm and the whole swarm interact hydrodynamically with each other and the environment are of interest. Pictured here is a snapshot of Basic Research being conducted within the Hydro Dynamic Labs at Florida Atlantic University using a soap film channel, a high-speed camera, and simplified geometric representation of schooling fish. This experiment allows for excellent visualization of an object's hydrodynamic properties in a real-world environment. This and similar images allow for a greater understanding through qualitative observation of how different parameters such as frequency, amplitude, phase difference, and spacing affect a similar swarm's hydrodynamic interaction. Within the swarm the wake pattern of the leading foils affects the wake pattern of the following foils. The wake pattern for this parameter set recombines to form a larger pattern after the flow has passed the swarm entirely.