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Robotic Fish Track Targets, Communicate With One Another

Posted by Soulskill on from the there's-a-fish-net-joke-here-somewhere dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Many of today's underwater robots need to periodically come up to the surface to communicate with their human supervisors. But researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have developed a new kind of underwater vehicle. The 'Robofish' can work cooperatively with each other. 'The Robofish, which are roughly the size of a 10-pound salmon, look a bit like fish because they use fins rather than propellers.' According to the researchers, such robots 'could cooperatively track moving targets underwater, such as groups of whales or spreading plumes of pollution, or explore caves, underneath ice-covered waters, or in dangerous environments where surfacing might not be possible.' Further information and more pictures are also available for these autonomous fin-actuated underwater vehicles."

16 of 68 comments (clear)

  1. Anyone else miss the cold war? by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Funny

    According to the researchers, such robots 'could cooperatively track moving targets underwater, such as groups of whales...
    Anyone else miss the cold war? In the eighties the press release about such gizmos would have mentioned "commie subs poised to vaporize Dick, Jane and their good ol' American homestead on a few minutes notice." Instead, we're left with following "groups of whales" around - sheesh.
    1. Re:Anyone else miss the cold war? by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Actually just wait a bit more. the Former USSR is now pissed at the USA once again. (Something about our asshole practices of pushing our laws on them) and poised to whip the populace back up in a Hate amarica furvor once again.

      Oh and they still have the ability to kill every single man woman and child on this planet in less than 12 hours.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Anyone else miss the cold war? by jackharrer · · Score: 2, Funny

      No problems for sharks to digest - they will cut them before to pieces with their lasers.

      --

      "an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
    3. Re:Anyone else miss the cold war? by jackharrer · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Even more. Putin started camps for kids that are in principle very similar to HitlerJugend. There's also a quite a big nationalist movement in Russia.

      There's a big chance that new cold war will start but it'll be much different that the previous one. It can be 3 sided with China taking also strong-arming especially in Asia and Africa. Oh, in Brazil also. Also technical advancements changed many aspects of warfare, you can see it when you look at cyberattacks originating from China.

      --

      "an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
  2. But.. do they fart? by witherstaff · · Score: 2, Funny

    An Ig Noble award was for Fish Flatulence as a means of communication.

    So we just need to create a robotic Bender, that burps and has an exploding ass, to really understand nature.

  3. Skin depth -- why submarines use VLF radio by compumike · · Score: 5, Informative

    They talk about trouble with communications while underwater, but the Skin effect describes how in a conductive media (say, seawater), various frequencies of electromagnetic waves are attenuated with distance. In short, high frequencies travel less distance into the material than lower frequencies. This is why the requirements for shielding of different electronics can be very different -- higher operating frequency implies thinner shielding. And of course it's also why submarines use very low frequencies to communicate. (See also LORAN positioning system.)

    --
    Hey code monkey... learn electronics!

  4. Prey by mofonius · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What happens when another fish mistakenly eats the robofish?

    1. Re:Prey by Monoliath · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm very interested in the answer your question, as I'm sure the materials used to manufacture this robo fish are incredibly poisonous.

      I can't believe the forward thinking about oceanic pollution when it comes to putting devices like this in the water is not present when it comes to their prototype development. It's like we're right back in the excessive product commercialism of the 50's and 60's all over again...despite the education and technology behind ecological systems these days.

    2. Re:Prey by zappepcs · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm guessing you have never watched a fish tank for any period of time. Even gold fish who tend to try eating everything will have a taste and ignore it after. Now, if the robo-fish gets any algae on it, it could be problematic as that would make it taste like something to eat.

      Other than that, all those old boats sitting on the bottom have not been eaten bit by bit, so you can relax and quit worrying about the fish being killed by poisonous parts from the robo-fish.

      Grouper and sharks and larger predatory fish might damage them in the initial lets have a taste moment, but I don't think there is too much to worry about there.

      --
      Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
    3. Re:Prey by Monoliath · · Score: 2, Insightful

      To compare the toxicity of an electronically guided fish to a sunken boat...is a little excessive IMHO not only that, you're approaching this from the perspective that sunken boats, depending on what their cargo was, and how recent the boat was manufactured, are themselves not a source of biological toxins.

      I am not a tree hugger, but my point here is that this kind of development needs to be approached from a much more ecologically sound perspective, given that the level of education and technology is advanced enough to do so.

      What I see is this idea taking off, and then thousands of these things being produced...without any kind of biologically retroactive plan as far as what happens when they become inactive and begin to degrade in the open ocean...at numbers in the thousands.

    4. Re:Prey by couchslug · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "I'm very interested in the answer your question, as I'm sure the materials used to manufacture this robo fish are incredibly poisonous."

      Why are you "sure" of that?

      Most of the materials are obvious (metal, plastic, printed circuit board, battery) so unless there is Something Very Bad cunningly hidden is it's robo-guts, it's no worse than chucking a PC over the side. One shipwreck would put more material on the sea bed than the entire likely robo-fish production.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  5. need a better apronym by slew · · Score: 5, Funny

    Instead of calling them "autonomous fin-actuated underwater vehicles", perhaps they could call them "autonomous fin-inducted submarine hybrid" or just AFISH for short...

  6. You can bet your bottom dollar... by hyades1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The first time a fisherman accidentally catches one of these things, I have no doubt he'll swear it weighed at least 30 pounds, was half the length of his boat and towed him around the bay for half an hour.

    When he realized what he had, of course, he released it.

    --
    I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
  7. Surf Patrol by Talisman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    They need to make one roughly the size of a killer whale that targets and chases sharks out of areas where people engage in water activities, such as surfing.

    --

    "Study your math, kids. Key to the universe." -The Archangel Gabriel
  8. Forget SkyNet by PPH · · Score: 2, Funny

    Here comes FishNet!

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  9. Roland's blogspam by 1u3hr · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In every one of Roland Piquepaille's submissions he links to his own blog at the nd "Further information...". This of course is just stuff he's plagiarised from the original sites. Slashdot encourages this thief and rewards him by linking him on the front page, elevating his pagerank.