Propagating waves in bounded elastic media: Transition from standing waves to anguilliform kinematics

Confined geometries usually involve reflected waves interacting together to form a spatially stationary pattern. A recent study on bio-locomotion, however, has reported that propagating wave kinematics can naturally emerge in a forced elastic rod, even with boundary conditions involving significant reflections. It has been shown that this particular behavior is observed only in the presence of strong damping. Based on those observations, this study aims at giving a quantitative description of the mechanism involved to prevent the build-up of standing waves and generate traveling solutions. The question is discussed here in the framework of handmade artificial swimmers as an example of practical application but we believe that its potential is beyond this scope.