Robotic fish. The phrase alone sends shivers of excitement down our collective spines here at Engadget. Undoubtedly, Michigan State University assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering Xiaobo Tan feels similarly, as he has designs on creating an army of them. The researcher has developed a prototype of a droid fish intended to be used to collect data from various bodies of water. The fish will be especially effective in monitoring conditions over long periods of time; swimming in a manner similar to that of their organic counterparts, thus giving scientists a clearer view of ecosystem changes. Elena Litchman, an assistant professor of zoology at MSU working with Tan says, "With these patrolling fish we will be able to obtain information at an unprecedentedly high spatial and temporal resolution." To recreate realistic movement, Tan has constructed fins built from electro-active polymers, which bend when voltage is applied, mimicking muscle tissue. Tan also envisions a version of the robots with infrared sensors used as "eyes," and other variations with small, deadly lasers mounted on their backs, to protect their waterways from careless, polluting humans, who have been deduced as illogical and must be wiped out. We might have made that last part up, but we'll never tell. While you try and figure it out, enjoy a video of one of the protypes in action after the break.
[Via
PhysOrg]
posted November 2nd 2009 2:02PM
Anyone see an issue with these things being eater while out in the open ocean?
That's expensive sushi to just feed larger predators, and (if they don't break down easily) potentially dangerous to whatever eats them.
I'm remembering an image of dead baby gulls from Cellar.org the other day - they died from mal-nutrition because they had stomachs full of undigested plastic.
Just my 2 pennies.
No...No...?
this is the first thing I thought too. what happens when real fish start eating these robotic fish. it's going to be an environmentalists field day... and the media... *sigh*.
good intentions and all... but in practice.... i have my doubts.
I thought the same thing... this is a disaster in every sense waiting to happen... poor data collection, robotic fish poison real fish, mayhem ensues.
Exactly, and then who gets to reap all the harmful effects of the chemicals from the partially broken down plastics and metals when they eat the fish? Sheesh!
Well okay, as long as they're not candiru.
I'm not sure I can give this one the "robotic overloads" Seal of Approval.
but can you give my robotic seal the fish of approval?
Is this to collect data on fish and that's why it has to mimic a fish? If not, why does it have to be a fish?
Same reason snipers use camouflage.
Droidfish does what iCarp cant.
Fintendon't?
what happens when/if they're eaten by real fish?
I feel like I have entered some kind of valley.
hmm have some droid fishes in the cellphone instead of real?
(If you saw the cellphone chell with fishtank, youll get it)
Don't tell me what I have to do to get your joke. You're not the boss of me.
so THAT'S what's in crunchy sushi!!!!
Mr. Xiaobo Tan is forgetting one little thing, there is always a bigger fish :)
You think there may be a way to have the fish emit some kind of frequency that tells fish around it that it is not biological and that it is not safe to eat? Make the fish adapt and survive in the real world just a nature intends.
These are fish, not microwaves
I didnt mean radiation. I meant frequencies like Blutooth or WiFi. Some kind of frequency either radio or ultrasonic that will deter any biological swimmy from eating it.
They're working on it, but it doesn't seem to be working so well so far:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/04/shark-shield-experiences-epic-fail-gets-chomped-by-great-white/
To be ignored: katsuo11
Same as what others are saying. You're creating a robot that looks exactly like a regular food source for everything else in the water. Not going to last long.
Next step, sharks with laser beams!!!
Fish with fricken' laser beams!
How does a fish stomp anything out?
It has no feet!
Umm...it is just me, or does that look like an actual skinned fish with gear jammed into it? In which case it would actually be a cyber-fish. Or maybe an aquatic techno-zombie.
yeh. It looks like the pale underbelly of a dead gold fish floating on the top of the tank!
I go to MSU! Xiaobo Tan is possibly the worst teacher of all time...
I went to MSU- go green! They have a history of odd robotic creations.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7630-robot-hand-performs-remote-breast-checks.html
Haha, he's my ECE313 teacher right now!
PEW PEW PEW!
I saw this during a tour of MSU
Why does it have to look like a fish? If they would make it look abstract enough sea creatures wouldn't try to eat it, no?
There probably is a very good reason it has to look like fish, it would be nice to know..
The reason it looks like a fish, is because they've been genetically tuned to swim quite well, it's just a good "design".
They'll just have to make them fast and smart enough to outrun bigger fish... but I guess improving on nature may not be that simple.
Robotic fish again? Sigh, any engineer that actually makes stuff for the ocean will tell you if it looks like a fish it'll be eaten like fish. Not to mention how sharks love to bite electronic cables and various crustaeans like to chomp on fiber optic cable. The solutions to long term environmental monitoring of the ocean have been around for ages. They're called profiling buoys and sea gliders.
I'm an MSU grad and I think this is a waste of inventive talent.
Anyone else grossed out by the bloody tampon swimming around the the tub of water?
64GB around or just after Christmas time now please Zune. Get it done!
http://cybermondaywii.co.cc/