Underwater robot resonates with Aurelia aurita jellyfish

Scientists have developed a robot that uses resonance to propel itself through water in the same style as an Aurelia aurita jellyfish, which is the natural world’s most efficient swimmer.

The research from the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh demonstrates that the new underwater robot can swim as quickly and efficiently as the squid and jellyfish which inspired its design. Their findings are published in Science Robotics.

In a statement, co-author Dr Francesco Giorgio-Serchi, lecturer and Chancellor's Fellow, at the School of Engineering, Edinburgh University, said: "The fascination for organisms such as squid, jellyfish and octopuses has been growing enormously because they are quite unique in that their lack of supportive skeletal structure does not prevent them from outstanding feats of swimming."

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The new robot was developed at the Southampton University and is the first submersible to demonstrate the benefits of using resonance for underwater propulsion.

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