According to the Daily Mail, scientists from the University of Essex in Colchester are currently working on a project that would send robotic fishes into the depths of the River Thames. Their mission? To collect data and create a 3D water pollution map. In the United States, a similar project is being conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle to monitor oil spills. Just like it, this EU-funded project costing around $4 million entails the production of robotic fishes that can act autonomously within schools.
The researchers have reportedly been able to develop "swarm intelligence techniques" that allow them to perform as a group without any human input. There will be five fishes within a school, communicating with each other via WiFi, all with built-in GPS systems. As expected, due to its purpose, each fish is fitted with sensors that can detect pollutants. In fact, different sensors can be planted on each fish to target a particular substance. Whenever one of the robots finds something in the water, it sends a signal to all the members of its school so all of them could take detailed readings of the area. A prototype of the robot could be created within the next 18 months, and the design will follow the robotic fish that's already in display over at London Aquarium.
"This might look like something straight out of science fiction [but] there are very practical reasons for choosing this form," says Rory Doyle from the BMT Engineering Group that's overseeing the project. "In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient." One of the designer's aims is for the robots to be able to last 24 hours underwater before needing recharge, but I'm hopeful they'll find a way to harness water and kinetic energy to power the fishes in the future.
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