Tech News Update

Robotic fish, developed by UK scientists, are to be released into the sea for the first time to detect pollution.The carp-shaped robots will be let loose in the port of Gijon in northern Spain as part of a three-year research project.If successful, the team hopes that the fish will used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world, including Britain, to detect pollution.The life-like creatures, which will mimic the undulating movement of real fish, will be equipped with tiny chemical sensors to find the source of potentially hazardous pollutants in the water, such as leaks from vessels in the port or underwater pipelines. The fish will then transmit their data through Wi-Fi technology when they dock to charge their batteries with last around eight hours.It has been funded by the European Commission and co-ordinated by BMT Group Ltd, an independent engineering and risk management consultancy. Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at BMT Group, described the project as a “world first”, adding that scientists involved in designing the fish were using “cutting-edge” methods to detect and reduce water pollution.”While using shoals of robotic fish for pollution detection in harbours might appear like something straight out of science fiction, there are very practical reasons for choosing this form,” he said. ”In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years’ worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient.