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Washington (AFP)
Inspired by how fish fish intuitively synchronize their movements, Harvard scientists have designed miniature underwater robots that can form autonomous swarms.
Each robotic fish, known as a ‘Bluebot’, is equipped with cameras and blue LED lights that sense the direction and distance of others inside water tanks.
They swim using seesaw fins rather than propellers, which improves their efficiency and maneuverability compared to standard underwater drones.
“It’s definitely useful for future applications – for example, an open – sea search mission where you can find people in need and rescue quickly,” said Florian Berlinger, lead author of an article on research published in Science Robotics. said. on Wednesday.
Other applications may include monitoring the environment or inspecting infrastructure.
Existing underwater multi-robot systems rely on individual robots communicating with each other over radio and broadcasting their GPS positions.
The new system comes closer to mimicking the natural behavior of fish, exhibiting complex, coordinated behavior without following a leader.
The 3D-printed robots are about 10 centimeters long and their design is inspired in part by Blue Seaweed fish native to the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific.
The robots use their “eyes” of the camera to detect other robots in their peripheral vision, and then adopt self-organizing behaviors, which include flickering their lights simultaneously, arranging themselves in a circle, and targeting a target. collect.
Berlinger described a test in which the robots were spread over a water tank to search for a light source.
When one of the robots finds the light, it sends a signal to the other to get around, in a demonstration of a search-and-rescue mission.
“Other researchers have already reached out to me to use my Bluebots as fish surrogates for biological studies on fish swimming and training,” Berlinger said, explaining that the robot collectives can help us learn more about collective intelligence in the wild.
He hopes to improve the design so that it does not require LEDs and can be used outside laboratory settings such as in coral reefs.
© 2021 AFP