Robot fish developed by British scientists are to be released into the sea off north Spain to detect pollution.
If next year's trial of the first five robotic fish in the northern Spanish port of Gijon is successful, the team hopes they will be used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world.
The carp-shaped robots, costing $29,000 apiece, mimic the movement of real fish and are equipped with chemical sensors to sniff out potentially hazardous pollutants, such as leaks from vessels or underwater pipelines.
They will transmit the information back to shore using Wi-Fi technology. They navigate independently without any human interaction.
The robot fish will be nearly 5 feet long -- roughly the size of a seal.
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Comments (5)
will it not be mistakenly e... (Below threshold)1. Posted by edwin | March 28, 2009 4:49 AM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
will it not be mistakenly eaten by sea predators?
1. Posted by edwin | March 28, 2009 4:49 AM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2009 04:49
2. Posted by Mike Gomez | March 28, 2009 6:03 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Many years ago, autonomous benthic exploration vehicles were already developed for various information-gathering purposes, presumably even pollution monitoring. They looked more like missles, torpedoes, or aircraft than fish, which is probably a good thing because (as the previous comment stated) an object that looks and acts like a fish, yet does not have the program or instincts to protect itself from marine predators, will inevitably be attacked. It may not be actually eaten since it's unpalatable, being a machine; but it is certain to be damaged by curious or opportunistic carnivores.
2. Posted by Mike Gomez | March 28, 2009 6:03 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2009 06:03
3. Posted by Enkobi | March 29, 2009 12:20 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I'm curious, why is this necessary? How is it an improvement in efficiency over our previous systems? As I understand it, we can pretty much set stationary tests station anywhere we want that auto report to us anyway. Aren't these just $29k robo-fish? Cool in their own right, I'll admit, but not something that cities and health agencies should be wasting their money on
3. Posted by Enkobi | March 29, 2009 12:20 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2009 00:20
4. Posted by spy | March 29, 2009 2:30 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
big brother doing it thing. spying on the world.
4. Posted by spy | March 29, 2009 2:30 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2009 02:30
5. Posted by spearo | March 29, 2009 9:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Where do I left my speargun hhhmmmm????
5. Posted by spearo | March 29, 2009 9:17 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2009 21:17