| Robot fish equipped with tiny cameras could change ocean rescues | |
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Source: ctvnews |
1/13/2021 |
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Inspired by how schools of fish intuitively synchronize their movements, Harvard scientists have engineered miniature underwater robots capable of forming autonomous swarms.
Each robotic fish, known as a "Bluebot," is equipped with cameras and blue LED lights that sense the direction and distance of others inside water tanks.
They swim using flapping fins rather than propellers, which improves their efficiency and maneuverability compared to standard underwater drones. |
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"It's definitely useful for future applications -- for example a search mission in the open ocean where you want to find people in distress and rescue them quickly," said Florian Berlinger, the lead author of a paper about the research that appeared in Science Robotics on Wednesday.
Other applications could include environmental monitoring or inspecting infrastructure.
Existing underwater multi robot systems rely on individual robots communicating with each other over radio and transmitting their GPS positions. |
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