Robotic fish could be used to save tens of thousands of ocean creatures by fooling them into thinking they are leaders of the shoal and guiding them to safety.
Dr. Maurizio Porfiri, at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, developed the robotic fish design to encourage fish to school and swim as a group in a particular direction. Schools of fish swim based upon collective group behavior and information exchange based upon movement.
Dr. Porfiri’s robot fish mimic this behavior and, during testing, the robotic fish have proven to be successful. The idea is that they could lead fish stocks away from ocean toxic spills or undersea turbines. (Let’s hope this technology won’t be used to lure fish into nets.)
The secret is not in how they look, but rather how they move, the robotic fish mimic the fish they want to lure away. At present, his robot fish can only swim on the surface but Porfiri is developing a version that can swim underwater.
The U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development has supported Dr. Porfiri with an award to fund his research.
Visit: http://www.poly.edu/
Via Daily Mail & Gizmodo
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