(June 9, 2012) A team of
scientists and engineers at Polytechnic Institute of New York University
(NYU-Poly) reports significant progress in devising methods for leading live
fish away from oil spills and other aquatic dangers using a species-specific
robotic fish. The researchers say they now also see the possibility of
extending their results into the world of biomedical research.
The team's
latest research centered the visual response of zebrafish to a robotic fish
that was designed and animated to attract their attention. The results were
reported today in IPO Publishing’s academic journal Bioinspiration and
Biomimetics. This study followed one on another species, golden shiners that
investigated fish response to hydrodynamic cues generated by a robot. In
keeping with the differences between the two species, the new study's findings
also were quite distinctive, said Maurizio Porfiri, associate professor in the
NYU-Poly Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.