Researchers create robotic fish with blood-powered batteries

Advancing in the field of robotics, researchers have created a new robotic fish that can swim for over a day with the help of electronic battery ‘blood’.

A team from Cornell University created a new robotic lionfish that can swim around with the help of a synthetic circulatory system that pumps artificial blood made of battery fluid.

According to Nature News, the artificial blood permits the robot to store 325% more energy than if the fish was carrying a separate battery pack. This battery is enough for the fish to lazily puddle through the water for around 37 hours.

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The robot is powered by flow batteries – system that consists of two electrodes and a liquid electrolyte that flows between them. As the liquid moves around, it powers pumps located inside the robot fish’s tail, dorsal and pectoral fins.

The robotic blood not only stores energy, but also replaces the hydraulic fluid that would usually move the robot’s fins. This in turn helps the robot to reach a dizzying top speed of 0.1-inches per second. “1.5 body lengths per minute — that’s very slow,” lead researcher Robert Shepherd told New Scientist, “kind of like a loiter for a fish.”

For flexible range of movement for the fish, the electrodes were made from bendable nickel wire mesh, whereas the robot’s watertight exterior was made up from silicone. For now, the team is aiming to next work on improving the power of the robot’s movements.