Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by mrpg on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:02PM   Printer-friendly
from the programmed-in-sea dept.

A realistic robot fish could help scientists spy on secretive sea life

It looks like a fish, moves like a fish, but it's definitely a robot. It's name is SoFi (short for soft robotic fish), and according to its creators at MIT's computer science and AI lab CSAIL, it's the most versatile bot of its kind. And with its built-in cameras, scientists should be able to use SoFi to get close to the ocean's inhabitants without spooking them — hopefully giving us greater insight into the lives of under-observed sea creatures.

SoFi is not the first robot fish designed for scientific use, but it does bring together a number of different innovations that give it a unique advantage. For a start, its housing is made from molded and 3D printed plastics, meaning it's cheap and fast to fabricate. It's got a built-in buoyancy tank full of compressed air that means it can adjust its depth and linger at specific points in the water column (good for stakeouts). It's also got a custom control system, which uses coded audio bursts to transmit instructions from a human operator. SoFi can swim semi-autonomously, and will keep going in a specific direction without oversight, but a handler can steer it left or right, up and down, using a modified SNES controller.

Most important, though, is SoFi's propulsion system. This is a powerful hydraulic actuator that pumps water in and out of a pair of internal chambers, moving its tail fin back and forth. Not only is this quieter than using propellors like a submarine, but it's also less dangerous, as there are no sharp moving parts, and better camouflage. A hydraulic tail is quiet and looks just like the real thing. (Or should that be the real fin.)

Also at NYT.


Original Submission

This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
  • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:23PM (2 children)

    by MostCynical (2589) on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:23PM (#656840) Journal

    I go fishing, I catch one of these..the only important question is how it tastes!

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:38PM (3 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:38PM (#656849)

    > a handler can steer it left or right, up and down, using a modified SNES controller.

    2000 years from now, researchers will propose absurdly complex theories to elucidate the evolutionary benefit that drove schools of fish going up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-fast-jump-stop.

    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday March 22 2018, @09:01PM (2 children)

      by MostCynical (2589) on Thursday March 22 2018, @09:01PM (#656863) Journal

      So then the fish becomes a cat?

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @09:09PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @09:09PM (#656865)

        Almost, it becomes a catfish.

        • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Friday March 23 2018, @12:52AM

          by MostCynical (2589) on Friday March 23 2018, @12:52AM (#656950) Journal

          Needs more salt.

          And possibly chilli.

          --
          "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
  • (Score: 2) by Spamalope on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:21PM

    by Spamalope (5233) on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:21PM (#656911) Homepage

    The fish was tail down in all of the videos, with the forward dive planes really cranked in many of them. Does it have a problem maintaining attitude? I wonder if they tried too hard to make it look like a fish, and should have had a tail that looks more like a cross. (or airplane tail) Then a bit of tail up/down articulation could be used to steer.

    A bit of articulation from the tail to the camera could stabilize the view too, though they may not have the power budget to drive one (and carry the linkages).

  • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:44PM (1 child)

    by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:44PM (#656917) Journal

    And the prize for "most expensive shark food" goes to....

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday March 23 2018, @03:45AM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday March 23 2018, @03:45AM (#657009)

      Sharks would probably not "see" this thing by particulate smell, and if they do get electrical signals from it it's going to be very alien.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday March 23 2018, @12:38AM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday March 23 2018, @12:38AM (#656943)

    This MIT robot seems geared to short range observations. One of the neater long range ocean drone propulsion systems I've seen is a phase-change material that goes lower density at lower temperature. So, you put the thing in the ocean, it sinks - water gets cold, eventually it becomes buoyant, it rises, reaches the surface, melts, sinks again - perpetual motion (if you can avoid beaching/grounding) for just the cost of controlling the directional fins.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday March 23 2018, @06:53AM

    by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Friday March 23 2018, @06:53AM (#657043)

    Dave Lister will be happy.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 23 2018, @11:08AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 23 2018, @11:08AM (#657083)

    scientists should be able to use SoFi to get close to the ocean's inhabitants without spooking them

    Have these people even been in an ocean before? There are already lots of very strange looking creatures and they don't necessarily spook the fish even if they don't look like conventional fish at all.

    I've swum near fish before and they don't necessarily swim away. A lot depends on what you do. You can see for yourself on youtube many videos of divers swimming near fish and the fish not swimming away. See also those submersible videos.

    Furthermore if it looks like a fish there's a higher chance of the other sea creatures thinking its a predator or prey. Whereas if it looks like something less edible e.g. a big ball or floating sea urchin, it might be considered a more neutral entity.

(1)