Some of the prettiest robots will be let loose in a Spanish port to track some of the ugliest of toxins.
As part of a three-year research project funded by the European Commission, five carp-shaped robotic fish equipped with tiny chemical sensors will be let loose in the port of Gijon in northern Spain to find sources of pollutants in the water, such as leaky vessels or underwater pipelines.
The fish, developed by British scientists at the University of Essex, use Wi-Fi technology to transmit information to the port's control center via a charging hub, where the fish charge their batteries. The information will help create a real-time 3D map of the port, showing what concentrations of pollutants are present and where.
According to BMT Group, an independent engineering and risk management consultancy helping to coordinate the project, the fish are 1.6 yards long, roughly the size of a seal, and swim at a maximum speed of 1.1 yards per second. Each costs about $29,500 to make. Shown here is a robotic fish earlier created by the University of Essex researchers and on display at the London Aquarium.
