Scientists have just created a half-robot jellyfish

 Scientists have just created a half-robot jellyfish

Jellyfish usually swim about 1.2 m/min, but in experiments, cyborg jellyfish increased their speed almost three times. The electrical pulses make the jellyfish's body pulse faster, thereby increasing swimming speed.

Scientists in California have created what seems to only exist in Hollywood movies: cyborg jellyfish. The strange, half-jellyfish, half-robot creature can swim nearly three times faster than ordinary jellyfish.

Engineers at Stanford University and Caltech say this jellyfish helps people expand their understanding of the deep seas. But these biorobots also raise many ethical questions alongside their potential.

“We try to make the most of natural biology and incorporate the best we can,” said John Dabiri, a longtime Professor of Aeronautics and Mechanical Engineering at Caltech University. know.

Jellyfish are primitive invertebrates that have barely changed in the last 500 million years. (Image: Getty).

"Jellyfish are primitive invertebrates that have barely changed in the last 500 million years. They have no brain, lungs or central nervous system. In particular, they were not damaged during the experiment. experience at Stanford," said Professor Dabiri.

Dabiri and his colleagues created a device the size of a coin, containing a microchip and a small battery. Using a stick of spikes, the team attached the device to the underside of the moon jellyfish's body. Then, small electrical currents flow from the device to electrodes on the jellyfish muscle tissue.

Jellyfish usually swim about 1.2 m/min, but in experiments, cyborg jellyfish increased their speed almost three times. The electrical pulses make the jellyfish's body pulse faster, thereby increasing swimming speed. Animals often release mucus when stressed. This again did not occur in the experiments, nor was there any harm to the test subject when the device was removed.

Compared to a swimming robot, the cyborg jellyfish is 1,000 times more effective. "This shows that jellyfish possess many abilities to swim faster, more efficiently that we have yet to exploit," Dabiri said. The underlying cause is thought to be because they have no reason to swim so fast.

The coin-sized microchip-carrying device is worn for jellyfish. (Photo: Caltech).

The coin-sized microchip-carrying device is worn for jellyfish.

Dabiri also notes that operating a scientific research vessel at sea for one day can cost about $20,000 or more.

If scientists continue to refine the device that controls the jellyfish to collect data such as water temperature, salinity, pH and some other data, we can easily explore the oceans as deep as possible. pollution and climate change.

For decades, researchers have placed tracking devices on many large animals in the ocean. Some scientists at Stanford University have attached miniature cameras and tachometers to giant Atlantic bluefin tuna to learn how they move through the water. They put electronic sensors on great white sharks, sea turtles and other marine animals to track their movements and habits.

The process of combining, implanting electronic devices into living tissues to change the way animals move takes us to new limits.