14 DAY TRIAL // Jellyfish are part and parcel of healthy marine ecosystems. However, once their population in certain areas increases to a considerable extent, fish species end up being harmed.
This happens because jellyfish feed both on fish eggs, and on the plankton that many other species rely on to survive. Needless to say, fishermen aren't exactly thrilled either.
Hoping to help clear fishing areas of so-called jellyfish, researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed what they call jellyfish exterminator robots.
These unmanned robots, pictured above, are supposed to patrol waters and kill jellyfish by sucking them in and then shredding them with a propeller, NanoWerk tells us.
Recent tests show that, when in formation, just three such robots can slaughter jellyfish at a rate of about 900 kilograms (roughly 2,000 pounds) per hour.
The robots each pack two motors, which enable them to move forward and backward, and even rotate 360 degrees. They can calculate their own routes, and do not need human help to come in formation.