What possible use could there be for a robotic fish? Well, researchers at the University of Essex say they’ve identified quite a beneficial one: analysing and monitoring water pollution.

Professors from the university’s School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering are using £2.5 million in funding to help develop such a robotic fish. Their goal: to develop a device that can work automatically and independently — or as part of a team — to keep track of pollution in EU ports.

“The project is a ‘world first,’ ” said lead researcher Huosheng Hu. ” We will develop a team of robotic fish to search and analyse chemicals on the surface of the water (for example, oil), as well as those dissolved in the water. Issues such as data security, communication, and clean energy will be interesting challenges.”

The research team’s aim is to develop a fishy robot with chemical sensors that can help generate a real-time, three-dimensional map of pollutants, showing where they are located in a port and in how great a concentration. Advanced swarm intelligence techniques will be used to control and coordinate the robots, enabling them to quickly adapt to changes in the environment.

Ultimately, such technology could help port authorities keep better track of pollution from ships and underwater pipelines. Researchers also expect their efforts could help lead to other advances in robotics and robot intelligence, chemical analysis and underwater communications.

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