A team from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT have created the “SoFi” of Fiji, a soft robotic fish that collects data about the sea creatures of the coral reefs in Fiji while swimming alongside them. The SoFi is able to move quickly and smoothly due to its undulating tail and a human at the controls.
Using its undulating tail and a unique ability to control its own buoyancy, SoFi can swim in a straight line, turn, or dive up or down. The team also used a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller and developed a custom acoustic communications system that enabled them to change SoFi’s speed and have it make specific moves and turns.
