Small, medium or large, a robotic fish maintains its swimming ability
Researchers at EPFL and New York University have developed ScaFi, a scalable robotic fish that can be produced in various sizes while preserving fish-like swimming motion. The design uses a rigid front and a flexible tail with a single motor and crossed tendons, and only the tail rod diameter changes with size. Three prototypes (0.6, 1.1, and 2.9 m long) were tested in laboratory and field conditions, showing consistent swimming gait across scales, though energy efficiency varied.
Researchers at EPFL and New York University have developed ScaFi, a scalable robotic fish that can be produced in various sizes while preserving fish-like swimming motion. The design uses a rigid front and a flexible tail with a single motor and crossed tendons, and only the tail rod diameter changes with size. Three prototypes (0.6, 1.1, and 2.9 m long) were tested in laboratory and field conditions, showing consistent swimming gait across scales, though energy efficiency varied.
The EPFL‑based research advances Swiss AI by providing a scalable, AI‑informed robotic platform for autonomous underwater monitoring across diverse aquatic environments.
Original source record. Open the original record to verify the underlying announcement.