Robotic fish that swim like a bass or trout are the latest crossover from biology to robotics. Mechanical engineers Kamal Youcef-Toumi and Pablo Valdivia Y Alvarado of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed the elegant fishbots to maneuver deftly into areas where more conventional underwater remotely operated or autonomous vehicles are unable to reach. “Schools” of the new robot fish could be utilized to carry-out inspections of underwater structures such as oil and gas pipes; ship’s hulls; and perhaps help detect environmental hazards. They could also find uses in patrolling ports, rivers, and lakes. Unlike earlier robotic fish, these robots are much simpler in design and are much more like their natural models. Read more about these amazing machines in the stories linked below.
New robots mimic fish's swimming
PhysOrg.com
As part of his doctoral thesis, Valdivia Y Alvarado created a model to calculate the optimal material properties distributions along the robot's body to …
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MIT researchers create robotic fish for underwater explorationVentureBeat
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New robots mimic fish's swimming – PhysOrg.com
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:12:25 GMT