14 DAY TRIAL // Previous developments in the field of technical engineering focused on designing and manufacturing robotic fish that could patrol our seas and oceans, register the levels of pollution it recorded in various aquatic areas and then report back to base.
Thus, their main goal was to explore and monitor, whilst at the same time keeping interaction with natural marine life forms down to a minimum.
However, it seems that a group of researchers employed at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University recently came up with a way to use robotic fish for the purpose of saving live ones from oil spills or other such similar threats.
The funds needed to carry on with this experiment came from the National Science Foundation and the Honors Center of Italian Universities.
The choice of species for this state-of-the art aquatic hero is the zebrafish, a tropical freshwater fish greatly admired by biologists for its regenerative abilities.
As far as gender goes, it seems that they had to settle for designing a fertile female, as apparently such a specimen is attractive for both male and female zebrafish.
In spite of the fact that the laboratory-made Mrs. Zebrafish was six times longer than her live counterparts, researchers noticed that “she” did succeed in getting the attention of the flesh-and-blood fish specimens.
As Futurity reports, future studies are to focus on developing more complex behavioral patterns for these robotic fish. Moreover, cameras are to be attached to them, so as to have a better insight into aquatic “social life.”
Should things continue to unfold in this encouraging manner, perhaps it is only a matter of time before various marine creatures find themselves led out of harm’s way by artificial life-forms.
Truth be told, seeing how much human society presently depends on technology, why wouldn't we teach other species to follow in our footsteps from this point of view at least?