Michael Krieg, PhD Research Scientist Institute for Networked Autonomous Systems (INAS) University of Florida Even the most robust and sophisticated underwater robots pale in comparison to the performance of the ocean’s natural inhabitants, as many of which seem to traverse turbulent environments with ease and also demonstrate effective long range migration patterns. This talk analyzes a novel propulsion mechanism inspired by the locomotion of squid and jellyfish; whereby, finite fluid jets are ejected from a flexible internal cavity in a periodic fashion. Vortex ring formation, which is associated with expelled jets starting from rest, causes the thrust associated with this