Research paves the way for the designing and engineering of
more efficient autonomous underwater vehicles for wide-range applications,
including military and underwater terrain exploration.
A team of researchers from the National University of
Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering has
developed a robot fish that mimics the movements of a carp. This robot which is
essentially an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is ready for applications,
as it can be programmed to perform specific functions, for example, for
underwater archaeology such as exploring nooks and corners of wreckage -- or
sunken city which are difficult for divers or traditional AUVs to access. Other
applications include military activities, pipeline leakage detection, and the
laying of communication cable.