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Robotic Fish Fins to Propel Submarines

by Evan Shamoon on August 2, 2007 at 07:39 AM



We may be destroying nature, but at least we're learning from it.

Researchers at M.I.T. have created mechanical fins to power agile submarines, mimicking the movements of the bluegill sunfish as it moves through the water. The result is a propellerless submarine, significantly more maneuverable than anything before it.

While they're still in prototype phase, the subs will eventually be used for various tasks, such as mapping oceans, surveying shipwrecks, sweeping for mines, or scaring the oxygen out of deep-sea divers; the improved agility and speed will make such tasks easier and more efficient.

Researchers expect to have a fully-working unit up and running in about two years, by which point it may actually be the only fish left in the ocean.

From BBC

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Tags: prototypes, submarines

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