(Robotics) Squid Robot 'Flys' Through The Water

Yet another great development from the Land of the Rising Sun.

A "squid-type" underwater robot developed by Osaka University in
Japan was demonstrated in a Kobe swimming pool on October 21st
as part of an underwater robot festival.

Although they refer to this as a "squid-type" robot; it does not propel
itself by shooting jets of water backward.
It moves and maneuvers itself in an unmistakably biomimetic way,
though.
It uses rubber panels on the sides to "fly" in a manner more similar
to skates and stingrays, curling them rhythmically for forward thrust.
It has been designed with a flat body to easily enter narrow spaces.

According to the Osaka University's Department of Naval Architecture
and Ocean Engineering, underwater robots will have a greater scope
of applicability and potential research than bipedal robots:

In addition to the precise control technologies needed to move robots
in water and the systems to maintain their attitude in extremely
unstable currents, brand new propulsion systems are being imagined
for robots being designed to monitor ocean environments, search out
underwater resources as well as perform other underwater missions.


SOURCE:
TechNovelgy.com

I think this is a cool robot, i can see it definately having alot of underwater research potential, and with the right 'shell' could be used in entertainment.


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