Researchers in Japan on Tuesday unveiled the latest upgrade to a robot fish that is taken on the appearance of a carp fit to swim leisurely in a Japanese garden. Ryomei Giken Co, and two other companies belonging to the Mitsubishi conglomerate, have been studying bionic fish since 1999 and have been continuously improving on their models.
This year, they demonstrated to the media at a moat beside remains of Hiroshima castle, the fish's latest three-dimensional diving functions. Previously, the researchers said, the robot's controls lacked the ability to dive or surface underwater or manoeuvre backwards. Now in addition to the robot's outfit of a CCD camera and sensors on its head, researchers hope the robocarp will eventually be able to do underwater environmental studies.
"We hope to develop the robot so it can research live fish as it is unlikely to scare them away and will be able to swim along with them," Tetsuo Ichikizaki, said. The 80 centimetre and 12kg cyber-fish cost the researchers $255 000 to develop. While they have no plans to market it at the moment, they said they are willing to create new ones if demand exists for them.
However open seas research may still be some time ahead for these fishy machines. Currently robocarp runs on rechargeable batteries that last about one hour. - Reuters
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
It appears that our destruction of the natural world lags behind robotic science's ability to duplicate it. -- Ed Fielding
Post a Comment