Down in the deep and dark abyssal depths of earth's oceans, there are still a lot of undiscovered and wild terros. The bizarre but also possibly beautiful nightmare fuel still exists in the depths of the Earth. Scientists have finally been able to use cues coming from nature in order to build some sort of small and soft robot capable of reaching the very depths of the ocean, the Mariana Trench.
Sea robot built based on small sea snailfish
These particular types of robots might be able to one day change how humans would both monitor and clean up the vast oceans. In a recent study published by the Nature journal, a team of engineers over in China had just revealed a lithium battery-powered soft robot capable of exploring the depths of the sea that could have only been reached by some rigid, sturdy submersibles.
The robot diver is only but 22cms long and also looks pretty much like a small manta ray. The design itself, however, is based on another type of sea creature, the hadal snailfish.
This is a particular translucent slab of cartilage that lives about 26,000ft below surface level. In order to achieve the deep sea drive, the researchers decided to take two of the snailfish's characteristics that would allow them to flourish in the deep namely its "distributed skull" as well as its side fins.
Skulls with holes
According to the story by Cnet, most people imagine a skull as the basic hard, protective enclosement shielding the brain from the outer world. The snailfish's skull is actually the opposite.
In fact, it is actually filled with a number of holes. The holes aren't just its natural design but rather a particularly necessary adaptation for the fish due to the crushing pressures and possibility of crumbling a closed skull. Better distribution of the bone would then mean less stress focused on a specific part.
The researchers then applied this idea to the robot. They were able to space out electrical components just like the microcontrol unit (which is a small computer), the battery, and even the voltage amplifier. The parts were set apart from each other and the tests then proved that stress was significantly reduced.
Read Also: Radioactive Carbon From Nuclear Tests Detected In Creatures From Mariana Trench
Mariana Trench robot
A new silicon body was then built in the shape of an unorthodox snailfish attached with small sidefins that are built to enable it to swim. The fins are also wired directly into a device that is known as the dielectric elastomer which is a smart material that would contrast or expand whenever a current is suddenly applied.
Smaller voltages would then be able to inspire the said movement. A video was uploaded on YouTube by NGP Press showing the particular robot in action.
Admittedly, it's actually not zipping through the water. Researchers note that it was able to move at about 4cms per second in a test that took place 70m below sea level.
Related Article: Ghostly Snailfish Spotted Swimming at World Record Depth in Mariana Trench [Video]
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Written by Urian Buenconsejo