The Ocean’s Future Spies,PlanetSave.com
A Norwegian scientist is putting remote-controlled backpacks on
fish, rendering them ‘fishbots’ capable of doing humankind’s
errands underwater, according to a report on
PlanetSave.com. When placed on a fish, the backpack
allows them to be steered remote-control style by stimulating their
muscles electronically. The inventor, Jens G. Balchen, says the new
technology could be useful for ocean research, or for checking
pipelines and wrecks. He expects to find commercial uses for the
backpacks within a few years. The fishbots raise concerns about a
possible military application of the technology, but Balchen says
that’s not likely. Balchen’s research also found that certain fish
work best with the backpacks. ‘Cod are too strong-willed and hard
to steer,’ he says. ‘Salmon are stupid.’ So what fish has the right
combination of stamina and personality to be bionic? Balchen says
it’s Pollack.
–Kate
Garsombke
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