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Schools of robotic fish to collect data, stomp out human threat

by Joshua Topolsky posted Nov 2nd 2009 at 2:02PM

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]

Continue reading Schools of robotic fish to collect data, stomp out human threat

LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet

by Richard Lai posted Oct 17th 2009 at 1:42AM

Remember the good old days with your virtual pets on your keyring? Well, how about an injection of life that actually roams around inside your phone? Some dude in China had this exact idea -- probably inspired by the waterproof LG GD900 Crystal in a fish tank -- and popped open the hollow keypad of his own Crystal, slapped in two unfortunate little neon tetras, squeezed in some water and snap! There's no mention on how long the poor things can survive in there for, but chances are PETA will be after your backside well before something goes wrong. We also went through the warranty paperwork, and honestly, we think this gentleman might be in a fishy area here. Video of the mod after the break, if you dare.

Continue reading LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet

Gymnobot looks to fish for inspiration, a little companionship

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 24th 2009 at 1:41AM

Alright, so it may not be quite as terrifying as something like Carnegie Mellon's robotic snake or NC State's remote-control bats, but this so-called Gymnobot from the University of Bath does boast some animal-mimicking abilities of its own and, if all goes as planned, it could eventually grow a whole lot bigger. Its secret is a single fin underneath its body that mimics the way a knifefish swims, which just so happens to also be an extremely efficient way for a robot to propel itself through the water. That, the researchers say, could eventually be adapted for larger autonomous or remotely operated vehicles, would be able to maneuver in shallow water and other areas that are problematic for propeller-driven craft. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

Continue reading Gymnobot looks to fish for inspiration, a little companionship

Video: MIT robofish set to snoop the deep seas

by Vladislav Savov posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 6:39AM

MIT has been at this robotic fish lark for a long, long time, and its latest iteration is a true testament to all the effort and energy put in. The first prototype, 1994's Robotuna, was four feet long and had 2,843 parts driven by six motors, whereas the new robofish is no longer than a foot, carries one motor and has exactly ten components, including the flexible polymer body. The hardy and relatively inexpensive drones can be used as substitutes for AUVs in tight spaces, inhospitable environments and the like, but their earliest adopters are likely to be supervillains in need of surveillance bots for their moats. Video after the break.

[Via CNN]

Continue reading Video: MIT robofish set to snoop the deep seas

The Strike's rod controller adds new depth to videogame fishin'

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 23rd 2009 at 7:59AM

Like bass fishin'? Sure, we all do, but we're not always lucky enough to be able to get out to the lake whenever we want. Enter the fishin' videogame, a genre that by all rights should be tediously awful, but yet has proven to be amazingly popular (why, even Link is into it). The latest and greatest looks to be The Strike from Griffin International, and part of what makes it special is a motion-sensing rod attachment that works a lot like a longer Wiimote with a reel for hauling in your big catch. It has rumble and force-feedback so you can feel the strikes and, while it seems less than instantly responsive on G4TV's video embedded below, looks set to offer the most immersive virtual fishing experience yet. Game and rod on the Xbox 360 will cost $69.99 (it'll hit Wii and PC too), but sadly you're going to have to wait until the end of 2009 to get your feet wet in this one.

[Via Crave]

Continue reading The Strike's rod controller adds new depth to videogame fishin'

Fish USB Hub looks like something the cat dragged in

by Laura June posted Mar 13th 2009 at 4:59AM

It's cute, it's useful, you're totally going to want one! Well, maybe not, but the Fish Shape 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub still could make your life a little cooler if you're in the market for a USB hub. It's purple, the eyes are LEDs, and it's sure to be boatloads of fun -- as long as you keep it out of Heathcliff's way, that is. Really, what more could you ask for? This little dude can be yours for a mere $10.99.

DIY Automatic Fish Feeder is outstandingly simple, rewarding

by Darren Murph posted Jul 21st 2008 at 4:25AM

Look, that USB-powered fish tank was fine during your teenage years of irresponsibility, but it's really about time you started acting your age. Of course, we're not suggesting you actually work harder -- just smarter, is all. The DIY Automatic Fish Feeder is an exceptionally cheap, easy and almost life-changing creation that will never, ever forget to keep your fishes well fed and well lit. By attaching a makeshift pill bottle dispenser to a timer, Baha Tanju was able to create an automatic feeder that barely requires any attention. We know fish have a way of forgetting everything they ever knew every three seconds or so, but they'll love you three seconds at a time for never leaving 'em hungry.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Crab Fu's Flapper fish bot creeps us the hell out

by Paul Miller posted Jul 14th 2008 at 11:46AM

Remember that one time when you went fishing with your dad, and you got a bite and lugged the fish onto the dock, only to watch it thrash around on the dock for a little bit like the most pitiful thing alive, so then you felt bad and threw it back, but even then you still knew he would hate you forever for putting him through that? Yeah, well Flapper is that in robot form. It's Crab Fu's latest RC robot project, featuring that trademark uncanny valley look and motion of Crab Fu, in a convenient fish form factor. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Crab Fu's Flapper fish bot creeps us the hell out

Robofish communicate with each other, engage in synchronized swimming

by Darren Murph posted Jun 9th 2008 at 10:23PM

Traditional fish should definitely start keeping their guard up, as we've seen a noticeable influx of robotic alternatives flapping around here recently. Joining the school today is the Robofish, a robotic swimming creature developed at the University of Washington. Reportedly, a trio of the units have been built, and during a recent workshop, the bots were able to communicate with one another and successfully swim in either one direction or in different directions. Eventually, researchers hope that these mechanical animals could explore underwater caves, track moving targets or plunge beneath ice sheets, but there's still work to be done before the creature's coordination ability is up to the challenge. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

[Via Slashdot]

RhythmFish concept enables Dory to create trippy visuals

by Darren Murph posted May 31st 2008 at 11:50AM

Wait, you did name your guppy Dory, right? Whatever your household fish is named, you can certainly give it a fresh purpose in life with the RhythmFish -- if it were more than a mere concept, of course. The setup surrounds your fish with webcams and monitors its movements via sensors in order to translate all of that data and put forth a visual interpretation. In all honestly, it's probably just some sort of randomizer hooked up to a Windows 95 screen saver, but a boy can dream, can't he?

[Via OhGizmo]

Researchers creating flexible fin to make AUVs more agile

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2008 at 2:54AM

If a wave of déjà vu just hit you like a ton of bricks, fret not, as this most certainly isn't the first (or second) time we've heard of researchers looking to the seas to create more intelligent / nimble submersibles. Apparently, a few more folks have gotten involved, as gurus from Drexel, MIT, Harvard and George Washington are now collaborating to develop a "fish-like fin to make autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) more agile." Apparently, the current iteration has improved on prior versions by eliminating drag during part of the "cut and sweep" motion. The general idea is to combine several of the fins in order to "allow robotic submarines to hover and turn on a dime as natural swimmers can," but it'll still be quite some time before devices such as this one can overcome ocean currents and ill-willed sea creatures.

MIT gurus developing mechanical fin for autonomous submarine

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2007 at 8:03AM

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]

Brando's USB-powered aquarium: for the fish owner to-be

by Darren Murph posted Jun 22nd 2007 at 2:43PM

If you've been eying one of those snazzy USB-enabled fish tanks of late, but are still a bit gun shy when it comes to taking care of a live animal, Brando's got you covered. The USB Interactive Aquarium looks to be the perfect device for the wannabe fish owner, as this completely USB-powered tank includes a pair of thoroughly fake fish that swim around using mechanical tails. The included software allows owners to feed, care for, and play with their robotic pets, and you can even get an underwater rave going by flipping the built-in LEDs off and on in rapid succession. Not a bad way to see if you're up to the real challenge, and for just $23, it's an inexpensive way to snag an office pet that's not needy on the weekends.

Vietnamese fishermen mistakenly swipe miles of fiber-optic wire

by Darren Murph posted Jun 9th 2007 at 3:44AM

While this mishap may not look as if it would cost Vietnam nearly as much as the Alaskan vaporization, losing 27-miles of critical fiber-optic cabling connecting the underdeveloped nation to Thailand and Hong Kong is fairly serious (and pricey). As it turns out, hordes of Vietnamese fishermen were given permission to salvage war-era undersea copper lines to fetch whatever price they could on local markets, but things got out of hand when vital telecommunication pipelines began getting swiped instead of antiquated cabling. The country has since disallowed the removal of any underwater wire until things pan out, but it looks like Vietnam will be relying on a single cable to the outside world until it can pony up the $5.8 million in replacement costs.

Singapore aquarium tags fish with RFID chips

by Darren Murph posted May 24th 2007 at 8:09AM

Keeping track of your personal pet using any means necessary is one thing, but embedding RFID chips into some 20 aquarium fishes is taking things to a whole 'nother level. Sure, we've seen RoboFish unleashed in a public aquarium and the means to care for your guppy remotely, but officials at the Underwater World in Singapore now have a much more exciting way to learn details about the animals customers see. Reportedly, the name and species (among other information) about the chipped marine animals are displayed on touchscreen displays whenever they swim by, which eliminates the old fashioned "match the picture with the fish" signs that still exist in other facilities. The project was set up over a three month period and set the venue back $19,600, but considering that the execs are thinking about risking someone's life to tag sharks in the near future, we can only assume that it's been a hit.

[Thanks, Andrew B.]