A robot that swims like a fish has gone on show at the Expo 2005 world fair in Aichi, Japan.
The golden Kinshachi Robot may have comical bulging eyes, but it also has a serious purpose.
According to Hiroshima-based designers Ryomei Engineering, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the robot will carry out tasks such as monitoring the safety of bridges or gathering information on fish stocks, transmitting images and data back to its operators.
The robots, which originated from research in the shipbuilding industry, can be rented for about 100,000 yen (£470) a day.
The robot design on display is a likeness of a mythical creature perched on the roof of a castle in Nagoya, a city near the Expo.
The fair, which runs until September, aims to present ideas and technologies that will achieve harmony between humans and nature.
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