Researchers Develop Transparent Eel For Underwater

A very different eel like robot has been created by the engineers and marine biologists at the University of California who can swim silently in salt water without any electric motor. They say this is an initiative towards future where soft robots can swim in the same ocean alongside fish and other underwater species without even harming them. Today we have various underwater machines and vehicles which are rigid and submarine like and create a lot of noise which is harmful to underwater animals and usually the deaths of underwater animals take place due to this reason.

This robot consists of cables which will imply voltage to the pouches of water inside of its artificial muscles and also to the water surrounding it. This foot long will stay connected to the electronic board that will remain on the surface. The electronics will provide negative charges to the water just surrounding the robot and positive charges within the robot that activates the muscles. This electrical charge cause the muscles to move, which creates the robot’s swimming motion. This entire development is safe for the nearby marine life because this carry’s a very little current along with itself. The test for robot was conducted inside the salt water tanks filled with coral, fishes of different species and jelly fish etc at the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

By: Swati Kaushal

Content: https://news.scubatravel.co.uk/transparent-eel-robot-swims-silently-underwater.html