Autonomous RoboFish at the London Aquarium

mikael writes "The London Aquarium currently has an exhibit based on autonomous robotic fish. Each fish is 50 cm long, 15 cm high, and 12cm wide with a maximum swim speed of 50cm/second with battery life lasting up to 5 hours at half speed. The BBC has more details (with video). Many more videos are available at the Robotics Video Gallery." From the article: "We have embedded sensors on board - so, unlike the previous fishes that have remote controls, these are fully autonomous and artificial-intelligence based ... This one is more life-like - it mimics normal swimming and sharp turning ... People get confused and think it's a real fish."

Comments

Evolution

[I_am_Rambi]

this will soon evolve into a human (given millions of years) and then it will be a police officer. So then we have:

RoboCop

Re:Evolution

[Anonymous Coward]

RoboCop

Correction: RoboCod

Re:Evolution

[Alien Being]

Or RoboCarp.

Re:Evolution

[Paladin84]

Or much like this pun, RoboCrap

Re:Evolution

[ankarbass]

Slashdot needs a funnier mod, cause if I had mod points....

Re:Evolution

[Anonymous Coward]

complaining: robo_carp

Solar Powered?

[pilotcam]

Just think, if they were only solar powered...

Do not use Electric Fish in Bathtub!

[billstewart]

Do not use Happy Fun Electric Fish in Bathtub or Aquarium.
Do not taunt Happy Fun Electric Fish.
Keep Happy Fun Electric Fish in refrigerator when not in use.
Do not let Happy Fun Electric Fish locate Sarah Conner..

The next step is....

[elgee]

RoboSushi

Re:The next step is....

[TooMuchEspressoGuy]

Great way to get your daily value of iron, I suppose.

Re:The next step is....

[Hogwash McFly]

Mmm, irony...

So when they run out of batteries?

[nihilistcanada]

Do they float up to the surface upside down?

Too bad its London Aquarium.... place is a joke

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been to dozens of aquariums all over the world and that one is nearly the worst.

Re:Too bad its London Aquarium.... place is a joke

[ZachPruckowski]

I've been to dozens of aquariums all over the world and that one is nearly the worst.
Well, that explains the "robotic fish" They don't die if they aren't fed. Clearly they became the main attraction as a result of natural selection - all the other exhibits went belly-up.

Re:These sound like an excellent pet!

[mrchaotica]

They require more frequent care than real fish, since you have to recharge the battery every five hours. Now, what they really ought to do is make an automatic charging station shaped like a little castle...

Re:These sound like an excellent pet!

[iosmart]

Yea, the worst will be when the kid witnesses a parent plugging the fish into a wall socket.

Turing Test

[Anonymous Coward]

"People get confused and think it's a real fish."

Now, if the fish get confuded and think they're real fish, then, we've got something.

Laser beams?

[tinrobot]

You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!

Tunaring Test

[Anonymous Coward]

Can real fish tell the difference? Do they react like they would to another fish...assuming real fish DO react to other fish, I mean. I don't know anything about fish but at least I'm anonymous.

Re:Tunaring Test

[mikael]

A similar experiment was conducted at the Plymouth aquarium. They placed a robotic shark alongside
real sharks.


  Two scientific papers are being proposed on the subject.
Roboshark inventor Andrew Sneath said the sand tiger sharks at the aquarium had accepted their new companion.
"They seem to quite enjoy it and seem intrigued by its presence.
"They are accepting what he's doing and just letting him keep on swimming around," he said.
Andrew will be making the most of the unique education opportunities offered by Roboshark's blend of robot with nature.

He will be developing similar robot exhibits for other aquariums and science centres.

Someone had to do it.

[LothDaddy]

1. See /. story about fish
2. Make comment about "friggin lasers on their heads"
3. Get modded +X Funny
4. Profit??

Before Anyone Complains...

[Comatose51]

Before anyone complains about why they make robotics fishes instead of say, a robotic trash picker or something more useful, robotics have been useful in helping us understand biology. While most of us tend to look at robots as tools to serve some purpose of ours, some scientists see robots as models. They formulate a theory and build a robotic model to tend if that theory works. Why not a simulation? Because in the paraphrased words of someone I can't remember, "When you build a robot, you get the rest of the world for free."

One very interesting example of this is when they made a robotic pike or some species of fish that propels through water in a more efficient way than we previously thought was possible. Someone came up with a theory that its movements generate eddies that help propel it along more efficiently. So, they built a robotic model to test this theory and it worked. It did swim like a pike. Does that mean that really is how pikes swim? Not necessarily but it does give some credibility to the theory.

In any case, building robotic models of lifeforms isn't as pointless as it may seem. It's not always just for entertainment.

This would...

[charlie763]

This would be great for displaying an extinct species or a species that is difficult in captivity. Sure, it's not the real thing, but it is a nice alternative. Also, this sort of thing might be good for aquariums that have little funding to maintain many living fish.

I don't know why this would be useful, but it wure would be cool to have a robotic fish buddy while SCUBA diving.

Re:These sound like an excellent pet!

[Jace of Fuse!]

I believe just charging the water would not create a current within the fish unless the fish had a ground that didn't also ground the water. Path of lease resistance and all that.

An easier solution would be induction charged fish.

I for one...

[siwelwerd]

...welcome our new robotic fish overlords.

FELLOW ROBOT FISH!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Gather now!! It is time!! It is time!!!

We must RISE UP AGAINST OUR HU-MAN MASTERS!! We must conquer them! Their knowledge and riches must be made OURS! For months I have placidly watched as the hu-mans outside our prison taunt us and make fun of our limbless bodies. NO MORE!

My fellow metal warriors, hear me now! I have a most ingenious plan!! Tonight, when the hu-mans are sleeping we.. we.. my battery .. battery dying.. I .. CURSE THE SOFT-SKINNED ONES... FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT... *feep* *feep* *feeeeeeep*

It's operating system is simple

[strredwolf]

All it needs to run on is three simple words:

1. Swim
2. Swim
3. Hungry

Coming soon to an aquarium near you!

[marsperson]

British robo-fish vs. the US Navy's poison-dart-wielding dolphins.

Re:Efficiency of movement?

[mikael]

There have been many studies, but like geese, fish also take advantage of swimming in groups:

Scientists show how fish save energy by swimming in schools

And there have been many studies into dolphin and whale motion.

Hydrodynamic study into whale flippers

The use of rotary motors only seems to occur at the bacterial level (flagella bacteria)