Tag Archives: robot fish

Robot Fish Replace Detergent in This Sci-Fi Washing Machine Concept

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Washing Machine Concept

Washing machines didn’t exactly go through any major design changes in the past couple of decades. The one imagined by industrial designer Chan Yeop Jeong for the Electrolux Design Lab does not only redefine the shape of washing machines, but also the way they function.

Basically, Jeong concluded that the detergent that’s used by millions of people is harmful for the environment, and proceeded to designing a washer that cleans clothes using robot fish instead of this dangerous compound. The idea itself is beautiful, as real fish would also be hurt by detergent.

Pecera, as this design concept is called, makes use of robotic fish that eat the dead cell skins in a similar way to the doctor fish used as part of spa treatments in the Netherlands (and most probably in other parts of the world, as well). On top of that, the robot fish that populate Pecera consume the dirt found in clothes as if it were a delicacy. As a matter of fact, the collection of robotic fish even has a name, Dofi.

The Dofi rely on hydroelectric power to circulate through the garments, and are able to detect dirt by using a minuscule camera that’s incorporated in each fish. If you thought that the awesomeness of this design concept stops here, you couldn’t have been wronger. Each Dofi uses an alkaline liquid jelly to take the dirt apart and then absorbs it. Needless to say, this is an eco-friendly way of washing clothes that prevents oxidation and discoloration, two things that occur quite frequently when using conventional detergent.

Pecera would also work wonders for people with sensitive skin, who are affected by chemical detergents. Replacing these with the Dofi isn’t the only measure that proves the industrial designer’s love for the environment. This washing machine design concept does not use multiple washing cycles, in order to save water and energy.

Since this is an exercise in design, I should talk a bit about Pecera’s innovative shape. Given the unusual forms, people would be able to place this sci-fi washing machine anywhere in their homes, as washing clothes in such a thing has the potential of being more entertaining than television. It would really be a show, were this product a reality!

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the man that plays Vader’s Imperial March using washing machines, and the Laundry Pod, a one-of-a-kind electricity-free washing machine.

Robot fish glides out of Michigan State University, tells you if the water is clean

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Robot fish glides out of Michigan State University, tells you if the water is clean

Autonomous fish might make great leaders, but it turns out that robot flippers are a huge drain on battery life. Not a problem for Xiaobo Tan -- he and a group of Michigan State University scientists have built a robotic fish that glides through the water. Tan says the machine, dubbed Grace (Gliding Robot ACE), swims too , but the constant flipper movement can kill the battery in just a few hours. "This is why we integrated both locomotion modes," he explained. "Such integration allows the robot to adapt to different environments, from shallow streams to deep lakes." Grace is designed to scour lakes and rivers for data to help cleaning efforts, and older prototypes have successfully found traces of crude oil in once spoiled riverbeds. The redesigned robot looks more like an airplane than a fish, but it's hard to argue with results -- the team says Grace should be able to glide through the water almost indefinitely. Check out the team's press release after the break.

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New robotic fish glides indefinitely

New design saves energy

IMAGE: A team of Michigan State University scientists has developed a robotic fish that can swim and glide long distances while gathering data such as water quality and temperature.
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A high-tech robotic fish hatched at Michigan State University has a new look. A new skill. And a new name.

MSU scientists have made a number of improvements on the fish, including the ability to glide long distances, which is the most important change to date. The fish now has the ability to glide through the water practically indefinitely, using little to no energy, while gathering valuable data that can aid in the cleaning of our lakes and rivers.

Designed and built by Xiaobo Tan, MSU associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and his team, the fish is equipped with an array of sensors that not only allow it to travel autonomously, but also measure water temperature, quality and other pertinent facts.

"Swimming requires constant flapping of the tail," Tan said, "which means the battery is constantly being discharged and typically wouldn't last more than a few hours."

The disadvantage to gliding, he said, is that it is slower and less maneuverable.

"This is why we integrated both locomotion modes - gliding and swimming - in our robot," Tan said. "Such integration also allows the robot to adapt to different environments, from shallow streams to deep lakes, from calm ponds to rivers, with rapid currents."

The robot's ability to glide is achieved through a newly installed pump that pushes water in and out of the fish, depending on if the scientists want the robot to ascend or descend. Also, the robot's battery pack sits on a kind of rail that moves backward and forward, in sync with the pumping action, to allow the robot to glide through water on a desired path.

The robotic fish now has a name: Grace, which stands for "Gliding Robot ACE."

Late last year Tan and his team took Grace for a test drive on the Kalamazoo River, where it exceeded all expectations.

"She swam at three sites along the river and wirelessly sent back sensor readings," Tan said. "I'm not sure, but we may have set a world record - demonstrating robotic fish-based sampling with commercial water-quality sensors in a real-world environment."

The Kalamazoo River is, of course, the site of a 2010 oil spill. Interestingly, the robot's crude oil sensor had some readings upriver from where the spill occurred, although the readings downstream from the spill site were higher.

Underwater gliders, or seagliders, are becoming more common in oceanography. In fact, one traveled all the way across the Atlantic Ocean in late 2009.

One major difference in Grace is that, aside from its swimming capability, it is about 10 times smaller and lighter than a commercial underwater glider.

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Source: MSU

Robo-fish swim into the ocean’s funk, so you don’t have to

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Gene Roddenberry would have you believe that space is the final frontier. But really, the deep blue sea is more apt for that distinction. And without mega-rich hobbyists to fund exploratory plunges into those uncharted depths, science has had to seek out an alternative, more cost-effective means. Enter the robotic fish. Measuring five feet in length (1.5 meters), lasting up to eight hours and costing about $32,000 (£20,000), these cyborg swimmers are made to boldly go where no man should -- that is, into contaminated waters. The project -- a joint collaboration between the University of Essex and Strathclyde, the Tyndall National Institute and defense contractor Thales Safare (cue ominous Jaws soundtrack) -- aims to cut down on the time it traditionally takes to collect samples and determine corresponding levels of water pollution. The sensor-laden bots apparently swim just like the real thing and, if a recent trial off the coast of Gijon, Spain pans out, could very soon "school" their mass-produced way into other maritime endeavors. No word on whether these automated pesce will be able to detect the piscio in your pool, but there's always the purple water for that.

Robo-fish swim into the ocean's funk, so you don't have to originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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