Jellyfish robots to watch over endangered coral reefs

BBC: A fleet of robotic jellyfish has been designed to monitor delicate ecosystems, including coral reefs.
The underwater drones were invented by engineers at Florida Atlantic University and are driven by rings of hydraulic tentacles.
The robots can squeeze through tight holes without causing damage.One expert praised the design but warned that the man-made jellyfish might be eaten by turtles.The flexible, 20cm-wide bots are modelled on the appearance of the moon jellyfish during its larval stage.
The design is intended to be less environmentally disruptive than a drone submarine, according to Prof Erik Engeberg, of Florida Atlantic University.”Mini-submarines are rigid and typically use a propeller for locomotion,” he said. “The propellers can chop up the reef and the tough shell of a sub can cause damage to delicate ecosystems if there is a collision.
“The soft jellyfish robot can avoid these problems with its unorthodox design and locomotion strategy, inspired by biology.”To move, the robots use eight silicon rubber tentacles powered by pumps. Water flows into the tentacles, filling them up and then – as the pumps are switched off – it flows back into the surrounding sea again.