This Underwater Robot Swims Silently Like An Eel, Will Help Us Save Marine Life From Extinction

For scientists that want to study fish, it’s really hard to sneak up on one so as not to give yourself away.

That’s why researchers at the University of California San Diego have a soft robot that can swim underwater stealthily.

Soft robots are those designed of pliable materials, usually to keep them flexible for a variety of situations and to allow them to move without needing motors. In this case, nanoengineering student Caleb Christianson and the rest of the team built a robot to imitate an eel, so it could help researchers study marine life in their natural habitat.

The transparent robot measures in at just about 30 centimetres, and uses artificial muscles to move. It applies electrical charges to the salt water around it, as well as to pouches of water inside its muscles. These cause the muscles to undulate just like a real eel, propelling it forward in the water. “The charges are located just outside the robot's surface and carry very little current so they are safe for nearby marine life,” the university says.

This isn’t by far the only underwater robot; MIT recently debuted a remote-controlled robot called SoFi, that takes its design from fish. However, UC’s robot is probably the best soft underwater robot yet. Because of its design, it’s also less likely to damage things like coral reefs, and even live fish, should it accidentally come into contact with them.

The team says the next step is to design a weight system for the robot, allowing it to take deeper dives underwater. And maybe one day it’ll give us a look at underwater life like we’ve never seen before.