Local controllability of a swimming model in an incompressible fluid described by 2-D Navier--Stokes equations

We study the local controllability properties of a 2-D bio-mimetic swimmer employing the change of its geometric shape to move itself in an incompressible fluid governed by Navier-Stokes equations. It is assumed that the swimmer's body consists of finitely many parts, identified with the fluid they occupy, that are subsequently linked by the rotational and elastic forces. The swimmer employs the change of its shape, inflicted by explicitly described internal forces, as the means for self-propulsion in the surrounding medium.