While current iterations of such underwater devices tend to use loud propellers that interfere with underwater ecosystems, this new underwater robot, which weighs roughly 6 grams, employs silent, propulsive fins that mimic marine flatworms. Smaller than a credit card, the robot can maneuver through tight spaces, which makes it appropriate for applications like pollution monitoring, ecological research and inspections of waterborne machinery.
Source: EPFL-LMTS
“In 2020, our team demonstrated autonomous insect-scale crawling robots, but making untethered ultra-thin robots for aquatic environments is a whole new challenge,” the researchers explained. “We had to start from scratch, developing more powerful soft actuators, new undulating locomotion strategies, and compact high-voltage electronics.”
Specifically, the team developed flexible fins that enable the robot to swim up to 12 cm per second. The robot can reportedly achieve these speeds by flapping their fins up to 10 times faster than actual fish. Further, this underwater robot can move and swim sideways, backward, forward and can also turn due to its artificial muscles and locomotion system.
The team added that the energy-efficient control system is a compact electronic unit that delivers up to 500 V to the actuators while consuming just 500 mw — which is roughly four times less than an electric toothbrush. Additionally, the robot is also outfitted with light sensors, which enable it to autonomously detect and follow light sources.
Alongside the proposed applications that include precision agriculture, pollution tracking and ecological monitoring, other potential applications for the robot include inspecting machinery and underwater infrastructures.
The study detailing the robot, “Highly agile flat swimming robot,” appears in the journal Science Robotics.
