This is a video demonstration of SoFi,a soft robotic fish developed by scientists at MIT that can swim untethered by undulating its tail and adjusting it's own buoyancy for up to 40 minutes, at depths deeper than 50 feet. No word whether it's detected any mermaid activity yet, and but a boy can dream.
The team also used a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller and developed a custom acoustic communications system that enabled them to change SoFi's speed and gain it make specific moves and turns. "To our knowledge,this is the first robotic fish that can swim untethered in three dimensions for extended periods of time," says CSAIL PhD candidate Robert Katzschmann, and lead author of the unique journal article published today in Science Robotics. "We are excited approximately the possibility of being able to use a system like this to salvage closer to marine life than humans can salvage on their own."
Ahahahhaha,it's controlled by a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller -- that's worthy (although it's technically an aftermarket SNES Buffalo Classic USB Gamepad in a silicone case -- you can see it in the video). It's certainly not the fastest swimmer, but I suppose sharks need to eat too. *waving unique cell phone* Give me a call when it discovers Atlantis. "That's a Speak & Spell." I was wondering why my mom hasn't called lately.
Keep going for a video of the robofish in action.
Source: geekologie.com