I got this in my Email today sounds pretty interesting
This article was posted on 01/17/2013.
Engineers improve design of fish — create hi-tech robofish that can glide almost indefinitely
Robotic animal glides with ease using little to no energy
Leave it to engineers to improve the design of an animal. Electrical engineers at Michigan State University have made numerous improvements to the “design”, if you will, of fish, most notably, improving upon its ability to glide long distances.
Early prototype of fish specially designed by MSU researchers.
For the animal rights activists among us, you need not worry — no fish were harmed during the research. The group actually created a high-tech robotic fish to work on, fine tuning its gliding ability to the point that it can now glide at a near indefinite rate — using little to no energy—while simultaneously gathering data from the water around it.
MSU researchers have created a robotic fish that can swim and glide long distances while simultaneously gathering data.
Running point on the project is Xiaobo Tan, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Michigan State University. Together with his team, the group built, designed, and re-designed the fish, outfitting it with an array of sensors that allow it to travel autonomously and measure things like water temperature, quality, and other facts.
The MSU RoboFish is outfitted with a bevy of sensors for recording data as well as GPS to help it travel long distances.
Tan explains the reason why they focused on the fish’s ability to glide: “Swimming requires constant flapping of the tail, which means the battery is constantly being discharged and typically wouldn’t last more than a few hours.” Gliding, meanwhile, could be an advantageous alternative, if only it didn’t limit the fish’s ability to maneuver, not to mention slow it down.
“This is why we integrated both locomotion modes — gliding and swimming — in our robot,” Tan said. “Such integration also allows the robot to adapt to different environments, from shallow streams to deep lakes, from calm ponds to rivers, with rapid currents.”
The robofish’s ability to glide is done by way of pump that pushes water in and out of the fish, dependent upon whether the researchers want the fish to ascend or descend. In terms of power, the bot’s battery pack sits on a rail that moves backward and forward — in sync with the pumping action so as to allow the device the ability to glide through the water.
With such smooth operating capabilities, the group aptly named the robofish “GRACE”, which stands for “Gliding Robot ACE”.
GRACE has already been put to the test in the Kalamazoo River, site of a 2010 oil spill.
“She swam at three sites along the river and wirelessly sent back sensor readings,” Tan said. “I’m not sure, but we may have set a world record — demonstrating robotic fish-based sampling with commercial water-quality sensors in a real-world environment.”
While readings were, naturally, highest downstream from where the spill took place, worth noting is the fact that GRACE’s crude oil sensors were able to pick up reading upriver from the site, too.
GRACE is the latest star to come from the developing seaglider industry, which are becoming more common in oceanography of late. The biggest difference to note between this model and its predecessors (besides its swimming capabilities) is the fact that GRACE is about 10 times smaller and lighter than a commercial underwater glider. ■
Story via: msu.edu
