Virginia Tech Develops a Mechanical Jellyfish Robot

Specialists from the University with the long name "Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University" have created a fairly large robot jellyfish, with a shell made of silicone. This robot is not entertainment, but a monitoring tool that can be used for different purposes in the seas and oceans. The range of work that Cyro, the name of the robot can do, is very wide.

These are military goals (the military also financed this project), and monitoring water quality, and monitoring the spread of oil spots, and even eliminating these spots. The project cost $ 5 million, and was financed by organizations such as the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Office of Naval Research.

The 80 kg robot got its name from the first two letters of the name of the jellyfish species “cyanea capillata”, plus “ro” from “robot”. A series of electric motors controls the movement of the jellyfish, thanks to which eight mechanical “arms” move up and down. Well, the silicone coating allows the "jellyfish" to move in the water, making movements very similar to the movements of a natural prototype.



According to the developers, Cyro can run on a single battery charge of the week or even months.

By the way, these same developers created another jellyfish robot, however, several times smaller. That project was called Robojelly. As for Cyro, while this is a prototype, the final version of the robot is still being finalized. It will probably take several years before Cyro can really soar in the water of the oceans and seas.

Via theverge