MIT gurus developing mechanical fin for autonomous submarine

While we've already witnessed robotic submersibles take on fish-like sensing abilities, a team at MIT is hoping to equip autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with a mechanical fin in order to nix the necessity of a propeller. In essence, the crew is looking to "create a more maneuverable, propeller-less underwater robot better suited for military tasks such as sweeping mines and inspecting harbors," and they are taking a note from the bluegill sunfish to make it happen. This particular creature sports a "distinctive swimming motion which results in a constant forward thrust with no backward drag," making it the ideal candidate to replicate. Current prototypes are being constructed with a "thin, flexible material that conducts electricity," and while we've no idea when the gurus plan on cranking out a finalized version, they've already got plans to study other aspects of the sunfish's movement in order to better design the bots.

[Via Physorg]

[guilt+1 @ Jul 31st 2007 8:15AM]

Sure it's always the military who get the tech. Won't somebody think of the amputee fish. Millions of fish could benefit from this stuff but no there's no budget for it. Well, I just hope you people can sleep at night.

[L. Cyphre @ Jul 31st 2007 8:30AM]

The prototype better have a laser mounted in the nose.

[Nick @ Jul 31st 2007 10:28AM]

"You didn't invent laminar flow...GOD did".

Bonus points to whoever gets the quote first...

[Tim @ Jul 31st 2007 12:04PM]

Yes, there is a supreme intelligent being who is the best designer and creator. Nick points this out correctly.

How do you know there is a universal intelligent designer? someone may say.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada challenges modern 'secular' scientists in his books. He would challenge these scientists to make even one mosquito, just a little thing that can fly around and replicate itself. Yet, no one has built such a complex being so far. So God is the best designer and creator, and the people in MIT are copying from the person who does the best work.

[Nick @ Jul 31st 2007 12:18PM]

Uh...actually it was a SeaQuest quote....

But thanks for playing :)

[Dom1nion @ Jul 31st 2007 10:46AM]

Surely letting a fish sweep mines would be disastrous, if one of their brushes were to touch an actuator... Kaboom!
Maybe all those millions of fish that are missing fins have already been used for that very purpose... Cue the military pensions and compensation claims.

[andrew @ Jul 31st 2007 10:51AM]

What about all the predator fish who might swallow this thing, could it kill them?