Jellyfish robots could be the "guardians of the oceans"

According to scientists, soft-bodied jellyfish that can cross narrower openings than their bodies could be used to monitor fragile coral reefs.

Several of the robots, propelled by hydraulic tentacles, were subjected to pressure tests through holes cut in a plexiglass plate.

In the future, "jellybots" could be sent into delicate environments, such as coral reefs, without the risk of collisions and damage.

Their creators believe that they could act as "guardians of the oceans".

Dr. Erik Engeberg, one of the inventors of the robot at Florida Atlantic University in the United States, said, "The study and monitoring of fragile environments, such as coral reefs, have always been difficult for marine researchers. Software robots have great potential to help with this. "

The drawing of the jellybot is based on the shape of the jellyfish of the moon (Aurelia aurita) at the larval stage of its life cycle.

To allow the robot to swim and steer, the team used a hydraulic system driven by two turbine pumps.

The water pumped from the surrounding environment is used to inflate the eight silicone rubber tentacles of the jellybot to produce a swim.

When the pumps are not powered, the natural elasticity of the tentacles repels the water.

Dr. Engeberg said, "Flexible biomimetic robots based on fish and other marine animals have gained popularity in recent years in the research community. Jellyfish are excellent candidates because they are very effective swimmers.

"Their propulsive performance is due to the shape of their body, which can produce a combination of vortex, jet propulsion, rowing and vacuum locomotion."

He added, "One of the main applications of the robot is the exploration and monitoring of fragile ecosystems. So we chose flexible hydraulic network actuators to prevent accidental damage.

"Plus, live jellyfish have neutral buoyancy. To mimic this, we used water to inflate the hydraulic system actuators while we were swimming.

Five jellybots with different levels of hardness were produced for testing using 3D printing techniques.

"We found that the robots could go through openings narrower than the nominal diameter of the robot," said Dr. Engeberg.

Future robots will have environmental sensors and navigation programs to help them find gaps and decide if they can cross them.

The research is published in the journal Biomimetics and Bioinspiration.

– Press Association