Want to build a better submarine? Check out fish first.
That's the idea behind RoboTuna. Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge build robotic bluefin tuna and test them in a special tank. Uncovering the fish's swimming secrets may lead to better submarines and underwater vehicles.
"One of the things we'd like to develop are flapping foils that mimic the way fish use their tails and fins to propel themselves," says Dr. Michael Triantafyllou of the RoboTuna project. "That would help submarines and underwater vehicles move and turn faster."
RoboTuna has several thousand metal parts and a computerized "nervous system." Instead of scales, it is covered with blue swimsuit fabric.
Why use the tuna? "We wanted something evolution had already perfected," says Dr. Triantafyllou. "Tuna are the champions of long-range swimmers."