For over two decades, Professor Xie Guangming's team at the College of Engineering, Peking University, has focused on biomimetic robots, continuously exploring the field of underwater robotic operations, achieving fruitful research results. The robotic fish he has meticulously "raised" can not only swim, sense its environment, and communicate with each other like real fish, but has also been endowed with many "special functions" by technology—with a camera attached, it becomes an underwater detector, capable of clearly photographing the underwater environment and transmitting data; with a gripper, it can replace divers, diving to depths inaccessible to humans, and even in harsh, murky underwater environments, it can grasp objects through tactile perception; it can even blend in with schools of fish, guiding them to suitable waters…
“Water pollution, especially plastic pollution, is a huge problem. It affects not only the oceans, but also rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. This makes it impossible to find a one-size-fits-all solution,” Mackintosh said. “My design focuses on versatility. What better way to solve water problems than through living organisms? Fish adapt to their environment, and gills are an incredible mechanism in nature specifically designed to filter oxygen into the bloodstream—so my design is based on that, aiming to create a filter for microplastics.”
At the 12th Zhuhai Airshow in November 2018, a domestic military industrial unit unveiled a small military quadruped robot capable of battlefield reconnaissance and ammunition transport. Simultaneously, reports surfaced that domestic research institutions are developing quadruped robots capable of carrying weapons and equipment and possessing combat capabilities—a development that predates the emergence of the US "special-purpose unmanned rifle" bionic robot. Recently, a domestic robotics research institution publicly showcased its independently developed quadruped combat robot series, the "Red Wing Vanguard Fighting Robot Dog." Judging from publicly reported video images, its size is comparable to common toy robot dogs, suggesting a relatively small load capacity, but sufficient to accommodate reconnaissance equipment and light weapons. The series reportedly includes three models, each modularly modified to carry different mission payloads: a basic reconnaissance model equipped with lidar, thermal imager, night vision devices, and a tactical self-organizing network system; a light weapons model carrying a Type 95 automatic rifle; and a heavy weapons model equipped with a 9-tube grenade launcher.
The MIT Barracuda is the world's first robotic fish capable of free swimming. It is mostly made of fiberglass, covered with a layer of wire mesh, and finished with an outer layer of synthetic elastic fiber. The tail is made of spring-like, tapered fiberglass coils, making the robotic fish both strong and flexible. A servo motor powers the robotic fish.
The robotic frog's knees are equipped with springs, allowing it to bend its legs like a frog before leaping. On Earth, the robotic frog's longest leap is 2.4 meters; however, on Mars, where gravity is about one-third that of Earth, its long jump can reach 7.2 meters, approaching the human world record. Therefore, it won't be helpless against a small rock like the 2007 Mars rover. The robotic tuna is MIT's latest achievement in robotic fish development since "Charlie." This new prototype has a flexible body containing only one engine and six moving parts, allowing it to simulate the movement of a real fish to a greater extent.
Humanoid robots are not only an important indicator of a country's overall high-tech level, but also have wide applications in human production and daily life. Because humanoid robots possess human-like physical characteristics, they can adapt to human living and working environments, replacing humans in various tasks. They can not only replace humans in environments with radiation, dust, or toxic substances, but also be used in rehabilitation medicine to create powered prostheses, assisting paralyzed patients in realizing their dream of walking.
