by Rachel Kaufman
Published in National Geographic News
2009-10-26

If it looks like a fish and swims like a fish, it could be a robot–such as the University of Bath’s Gymnobot, inspired by an Amazonian knifefish.

Researchers worldwide are developing robots that look and act like aquatic creatures. That’s because biomimetic gadgets–bots that take inspiration from nature–are often more efficient than their clunkier counterparts.

“In a fishlike fish, the whole of the animal is muscle–its propeller,” said Gymnobot developer William Megill of the University of Bath, U.K. “That’s not particularly conducive to putting in circuit boards.”

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