Underwater ROBOTIC fishes

Robotic Scientific researchers from around the world made a robotic fish swim, a synthetic flower bloom, & a giant metallic blimp fly using artificial muscles at the annual Electroactive Polymer Actuators & Devices Conference. Yoseph Bar-Cohen, with JPL's Advanced robotics Technologies Group, chaired the conference, held this week in San Diego.

Artificial muscles -- or electroactive polymers -- are lightweight plastic strips that bend or stretch when connected to electricity. JPL scientists are exploring this emerging & innovative technology to develop “smart” devices that can grab, lift & move objects.

Robotic fishes for lunch anyone??...