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Robotic fish could become reality

Robotic fish could become reality
0 CommentsPrint E-mail CNTV, July 15, 2010
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The idea of a fish taking directions from a human, might sound absurd, but the animal robotics industry is developing just that.

 

Developers hope, that one day, humans could tell schools of fish where and where not to swim. This will help keep them away from danger areas, like say the situation in the Gulf of Mexico.

It's an aquatic version of following the leader.

Dr. Maurizio Porfiri of Polytechnic Institute from the New York University has combined his loves for mathematics and animals to invent a robot that he says will one day be able to lead schools of fish away from danger.

Porfiri says the hardest part of his research has been to find out what the qualities of a leader are - through the eyes of a fish, but he thinks, as is the case with most animals, it comes down to sex.

Maurizio Porfiri, Polytechnic Institute, New York University, said, "If you take a propellor and put it in the water it may swim as fast as the fish but the fish may not like it. If you can make something that swims like a fish, the fish may perceive it as a mate."

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