The world's first self-controlled robotic fish were due to be unveiled at the London Aquarium on Thursday, officials said. The three aquatic robots were developed by a team at the University of Essex, in south-east England, to teach the public more about robotic technology.
Built to look like the real thing, the fish can swim around a specially designed tank, avoiding obstacles and reacting to the environment.
They have sensor-based controls to navigate autonomously.
Project leader Huosheng Hu and his robotics team worked with the aquarium for three years, studying the behaviour and movement of a variety of fish before creating the robots.
"This work has many real-world applications including seabed exploration, detecting leaks in oil pipelines, mine countermeasures and improving the performance of underwater vehicles," Hu said.
The fish feature jewel-bright scales and can swim as fast as a tuna, accelerate like a pike and navigate like an eel.
"Our robotic fish are really wonderful to look at and very entertaining.
It's amazing how beautiful and graceful their movements are - they're going to be incredibly popular with our visitors," said aquarium director Foster Archer.