Draft Tube

Draft tubes are conduits designed to manage fluid flow, with applications ranging from hydroelectric turbines to robotic manipulators. Current research focuses on optimizing draft tube designs for improved efficiency and performance, employing techniques like Bayesian optimization and neural network surrogates for computationally efficient design exploration, as well as developing advanced kinematic models for soft robotic applications using Cosserat rod theory and multi-task learning. These advancements are crucial for enhancing the performance of renewable energy systems and enabling the development of more dexterous and adaptable robots for diverse tasks, from harvesting to minimally invasive surgery.