While conducting underwater experiments most robots need to come to the surface every now and then to communicate with their human supervisors. To do away with the repeated surfacing, researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have developed a 'Robofish' that can work cooperatively with each other and need not surface till their task is complete. The robots look rather fishlike because they use fins rather than propellers. This makes them potentially more maneuverable and creates lower drag than propeller vessels, and also could be less conspicuous by generating fewer air bubbles. The Robofish pack's first assignment will be to trail a remote-controlled toy shark.

According to the researchers, Robofish and their kind could cooperatively trail moving targets underwater, such as groups of whales or spreading plumes of pollution, or explore caves, underneath ice-covered waters, or in dangerous environments where surfacing might not be possible.

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