Robot Dolphin

A company called Edge Innovations has created a very realistic robotic dolphin-the aim is that it will replace actual dolphins in water parks,allowing people to experience dolphins without keeping them in captivity.

San Francisco-based Edge Innovations, working with Walt Conti and Roger Holzberg, the former Creative Director/Vice-President at Walt Disney Imagineering, have designed and built a new robotic dolphin that moves and swims with an almost eery level of realism.
Weighing in at a hefty 595 pounds, the robot has a battery life of about 10 hours, depending on its level of activity, and can survive in a saltwater environment for about 10 years, at which point new and improved models will presumably eventually replace it.
The robotic dolphin was designed to not only simulate the movements and appearance of an actual adolescent-aged bottlenose dolphin, but to feel like one too with a realistic skeletal and muscle structure underneath its outer skin, and accurate weight distribution that helps make its swimming motions look like the creative is actually alive.

gizmodo.com...

Here is a short video of the robot interacting with people:


It was developed for use in a Chinese aquarium.
I think its a good idea to stop keeping real dolphins in captivity,but there is also something a bit Bladerunner-ish about kids watching robot animals in a zoo!
Knowing what us humans are like,it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out the potential for military applications of such technology-both the US and Russian navy have a history of using real trained dolphins for things such as deploying mines and underwater surveillance-Now with truly controllable realistic looking robots,with a bit of tinkering they could do a lot more.
Although the current model is not equiped with cameras and sensors,it wouldn't take much work to add these and other "special powers"making this a very useful and potentially deadly peice of kit.

They could build a whole school of them,fitted with different tech-EMP,signal jamming,submarine mimicing sonar,high explosive,search and destroy and much more.And considering this particular model is being developed for China-you just know that they will have it analysed,copied and put to use by their military in short order.
Apart from that,its a cool idea I thought,and please Edge innovations-can we have a convincing robotic Jurassic Park next?

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

That's great



I want to see a robot great white or even a meg.

Star Trek did this many years ago. The whales in all the tanks in 'Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home' were not real. Only the ocean shots were of real whales.

Fake whales at about 9:30


Fake gorillas


fake dinosaurs.


I made a toy dinosaur.


Are prople and robots going to replace zoo animals?

a reply to: SprocketUK
Oh yeah,Robot Megalodon has my vote!

a reply to: beyondknowledge
I never knew that about the star trek whales,cool stuff!

Maybe we can have a robot blue whale "mothership" which launches a pod of robo dolphins,or a manned robo blue whale submarine(for stealth).
It could surface near enemy ships without being attacked,and with no propellor it would be difficult to track like a normal sub.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Maybe we can have a robot blue whale "mothership" which launches a pod of robo dolphins,or a manned robo blue whale submarine(for stealth).
It could surface near enemy ships without being attacked,and with no propellor it would be difficult to track like a normal sub.

If we are seeing it now, there is a good chance the military has had it for a while.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Very true,thats why I am not worried about some nefarious military seeing my idea and using it-because they probably thought of it years before and have such secret projects well underway.
I bet some countries have fish bots that can chew through a deep sea internet cable in no time,maybe bots that can hibernate on the sea floor,use wave motion to recharch power and attack when given the signal(or automatically).

The rate technology is progressing,it makes me wonder if one day far in the future after we are long gone,some of our machines will roam the Earth-All that would take is a half decent AI which learns to repair itself and its "body"using materials from the environment,and that isn't that far off even today.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

This is awesome, Id probably go to a zoo if it was all lifelike robotic animals.

Currently I find them to be very depressing places.