Harvard scientists have come up with a novel idea of underwater robots. They got motivated by how Schools of Fish.
Archa Harikumar H
Blueswarm platform | credits: Science Robotics
Harvard scientists have come up with a novel idea of underwater robots. They got motivated by how Schools of Fish automatically synchronize their movements. They have engineered miniature underwater robots which are capable of forming autonomous swarms.
Each of these miniature robotic fish is called Bluebot. They are provided with cameras and LED lights which can detect the direction and distance of others inside the water tanks.
They are using flapping fins to swim rather than propellers. Thus helping them to enhance their efficiency and manoeuvrability compared to other standard underwater drones.
These 3D printed robots are almost 10 cm long and their design is partially inspired by Blue Tang fish that are native of the Indo Pacific coral reefs. These robots use their camera eyes to spot other robots in their peripheral vision. After that they engage in a self organizing behaviour in which they flash their lights simultaneously, arrange themselves in a circle and then gathering around a target.
On Wednesday, Florian Berlinger, lead author of a paper about the research stated that this new technology will definitely be useful in the future applications. For example, a search mission in the open sea where we want to find people in distress and rescue them quickly.
Bluebots can also be used in applications which include environmental monitoring or inspecting infrastructure.
Current underwater multi robot systems depends upon individual robots communicating with each other over radio and transmitting their GPS positions. The new technology is so similar in imitating a natural behaviour of fish which show complex, synchronized behaviour without following a leader.
Berlinger also explained about a test in which these Bluebots were spread across the water tank to scan for a light source.
When one of the robots spot the light then they will releases signal to the other robots to gather around, in a demonstration of a search and rescue mission.
Berlinger also said that some researchers have already contacted him to use his bluebots as fish surrogates for studies on fish swimming and schooling. He also explained that these robots collectives would be able to help us to learn more about collective intelligence in nature. It seeks to improve the design so that it does not need LEDs and can be used outside lab settings such as in coral reefs.