A gelatinous robot is capable of operating in abyssal trenches has been developed by a group of Chinese researchers from the Zhejiang Lab and the X mechanics center of Zhejiang University (ZJU).
To conceive the robot, capable of operating at depths of ten thousand meters below the surface, they have been inspired by the snail fish, an animal that is capable of surviving a pressure of almost 100 MPa thanks to its structure: bones distributed in tiny parts of its soft gelatinous body.
A robot snail fish
This new self-propelled soft robot is shaped like a fish, with a length of 22 centimeters and a wingspan of 28 centimeters. Hard components, including control circuitry and batteries, are distributed throughout the robot's gelatinous body.
Thanks to this mix of hard and soft components, as well as a new dielectric elastomer actuator that operates in cold, high-pressure deep-water environments, the new robot can withstand the hydrostatic pressure of deep water.
As explained Li Guorui, first author of the article, as well as a senior researcher at the ZJ Lab intelligent robot research center:
Compared with traditional high-pressure resistant deep-diving equipment, the deep-sea soft robot was developed with completely new technologies, which are expected to significantly reduce the difficulty and cost of deep-sea exploration.
In December 2019, the robot performed a constant flapping motion at a depth of 10,900 meters in the Mariana Trench.
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The news
The first soft robot that can operate 10,000 meters below the ocean surface is created
was originally published in
Xataka Science
by
Sergio Parra
.