SoFi: A Soft Robotic Fish!

As everyone knows 71% of our Earth's surface is covered with water particularly the ocean holds most of the Earth's surface. Though we have a lot of technological advancements in recent years, it is still a difficult task to closely analyze marine life.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) found a great solution. They have designed a soft robotic fish named SoFi, that can swim alongside in the water like a real fish. This robotic fish can go through the path where the human divers can't go.

The robot's body is made of silicone rubber and flexible plastic along with some 3D printed components, particularly it's head which encloses all of its electronic components and the HD camera in front. This robot is controlled by using a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller which communicates with SoFi ultrasonically. The robot has been designed to translate high-level directional commands into 3D trajectories for the smooth movements in the water.

For the movement of the robot, the propulsion is initiated from the tail of the robot which is actuated by pumping water into two balloon-like chambers in its flexible tail. The pumping of water in the system make the tail of the robot to flex back and forth to swim in the water. It is like a set of pistons in an engine. By adjusting the proportion of water pumped into either side of the tail make the tail to flex more on the right or left side which helps the robot to turn.

The robot has been designed to control its buoyancy by using piston displacement buoyancy control unit and dive planes which help the robot to be stable and allows it to swim in various depths.

SoFi is different from Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), AUVs are usually powered by propellers or tethered to boats. SoFi runs on a lithium polymer battery which is similar to the battery used in consumer smartphones.

"To our knowledge, this is the first robotic fish that can swim untethered in three dimensions for extended periods of time" CSAIL Ph.D. candidate Robert Katzschmann told MIT's news site.

So, SoFi can be used to unveil the mysterious underwater phenomena and also for the inspection of critical infrastructure like oil rigs and pipelines in the future.