Italian researchers successfully test first robotic fish ROME, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The first robotic fish successful debuted among other ...
Italian researchers successfully test first robotic fish
ROME, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The first robotic fish successful debuted among other real fish, paving the way for better understanding of animal collective behavior, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.
The robot capable of imitating real fish, developed by a joint collaboration between Italy's National Research Council (CNR) and the New York University (NYU), completely integrated into a group of fish and even became the school leader, Stefano Marras, the CNR researcher who carried out the test, told Xinhua.
The robot, developed at NYU by a research team coordinated by Italian Maurizio Porfiri, "was tested while swimming together with real fish in a water tunnel at different flow velocities," Marras said.
Studying the flow structure, the group of researchers found out biomimetic locomotion was a determinant of fish preference, being fish more attracted towards the robot when its tail was beating rather than when it was statically immersed in the water.
"The robotic fish left a vortex that helped the others save energy,"similar to cyclists when they take advantage of wind streams behind vehicles, Marras said.
The experiment, the biologist pointed out, may enable a better understanding of animal collective behavior and open new horizons in the methodologies for species conservation, since it would be possible to affect fish behavior through their mechanical counterpart.
For example, the robotic fish could be used for the protection of endangered marine species by guiding animal groups away from threatening situations, such as areas contaminated by oil spills.
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