Section: Application Domains

Biohydrodynamics MATLAB Toolbox (BHT)

Participants : Alexandre Munnier [correspondant] , Bruno Pinçon.

Understanding the locomotion of aquatic animals fascinated the scientific community for a long time. This constant interest has grown from the observation that aquatic mammals and fishes evolved swimming capabilities superior to what has been achieved by naval technology. A better understanding of the biomechanics of swimming may allow one to improve the efficiency, manoeuvrability and stealth of underwater vehicles. During the last fifty years, several mathematical models have been developed. These models make possible the qualitative analysis of swimming propulsion as a continuation of the previously developed quantitative theories. Based on recent mathematical advances, Biohydrodynamics MATLAB Toolbox (BHT) is a collection of M-Files for design, simulation and analysis of articulated bodies' motions in fluid. More widely, BHT allows also to perform easily any kind of numeric experiments addressing the motion of solids in ideal fluids (simulations of so-called fluid-structure interaction systems).

This software is available at http://bht.gforge.inria.fr/ .