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The mechanical jellyfish “Cyro†developed by Virginia Tech’s School of Engineering is 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, 7 inches (18 centimeters) wide and weighs 170 pounds (about 77 kilograms). The mechanical limbs are covered in white. Silicone.
Beijing time on May 10, according to CNN, a group of researchers at Virginia Tech’s School of Engineering developed a machine called “Cyro†jellyfish that can serve as the underwater force of the military. spy. Its ability to make Super Spy 007 is not as good as it is. The machine is 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, 7 inches (18 centimeters) wide and weighs 170 pounds (about 77 kilograms). The mechanical limbs are covered with white silicone.
Cyro is the result of a program funded by the US Navy's Undersea Operations Center and the Naval Research Office. The program has invested a total of 5 million U.S. dollars and is being participated by a number of universities across the U.S. to develop self-powered autonomous robots for conducting underwater surveillance missions or monitoring the marine environment. Alex Villanuova, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech University, said: "We are trying to make this robot as close as possible to a real jellyfish, including appearance, movement and feel."
The United States Navy had developed machine jellyfish in the past, but none of them can be compared with Cyro. In 2012, the research team of Virginia Tech University led by the professor of mechanical engineering Shasque Puglia unveiled the early prototype of Cyro called “RoboJellyâ€. However, the size of the RoboJelly is small and only manpower. Villanueva pointed out: "An important reason for the development of larger machine jellyfish is to increase the payload, to provide space for the installation of equipment and allow it to perform more complex tasks. Another important reason is that the larger the volume of the robot It often means more efficient. According to biologists' research on animals, the larger the animal, the less energy it takes to travel from place A to place B."
The name “Cyro†comes from the Xia jellyfish whose scientific name is “Cyanea capillataâ€. This machine jellyfish has 8 arms and a white soft silicone surface. In terms of design, Cyro can simulate the movement of real jellyfish and push itself in water. Cyro has a control box in the middle to act as its brain. Currently, researchers have not yet installed a camera on Cyro, but will install it later and also install other monitoring equipment. Villanueva said: "Cyro is equipped with a basic control system. We programmed the Cyro in advance and set up the tasks we needed to complete. After entering the water, Cyro will perform the tasks according to the preset program."
Cyro uses a rechargeable nickel-metal hydride battery. One of the drawbacks is that it has a short swimming time and can only swim for 4 hours. Villanueva said: "This kind of defect is caused by the battery to a certain extent. The goal of this project is to develop a machine jellyfish that can operate underwater for a long time while reducing maintenance requirements as much as possible. The lowest is that the future Cyro will have a longer endurance and can stay in the sea for weeks or even months."
Currently, the research team is looking for other sources of energy to power Cyro. Villanueva said: "The real jellyfish can't move without eating. The same is true of machine jellyfish. They must supplement the fuel. We are looking for new ways to obtain energy, using any energy that can be used in the ocean, such as solar energy. And wave energy. In addition, we are also developing more novel ways, such as the use of microbial fuel cells to digest nutrients in seawater."
This prototype has been deployed to the ocean for several years. Machine jellyfish has many potential applications. This robot can be used to study fish, monitor ocean currents or clean up oil spills. In the military surveillance operation, machine jellyfish can also play an important role. Villanueva said: "A huge advantage of jellyfish is deception, they are animals you will not feel threatened. If I see a machine shark and a machine jellyfish, I must be more wary of machine sharks, not machines. Jellyfish.†(Xiaowen)
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