This adorable underwater drone swims like a fish

gizzi (36)in #technology • 7 years ago

Meet BIKI, the underwater drone that swims like a fish.

The bionic design of BIKI won't spook other fish, so it can also be used to document underwater sea life.

Obviously the biggest difference between BIKI and other underwater drones is its physical shape and design. It looks like a fish, flappy fin and everything. They claim it will move through the water at over 1 mph, and do so very quietly. It automatically sets its own buoyancy and level, which is pretty clever. Built-in GPS returns it to you if it goes out of range. Using the camera (more on that later) it will avoid underwater obstacles.

Two 114-lumen LEDs light up the underwater world

The battery is said to last around 90-120 minutes. When it drops to 20%, it heads back to you, thanks to the aforementioned GPS and an IMU (inertial measurement unit).

Perhaps most impressive is they claim BIKI can submerge to 196 feet.

Inside is a camera that can shoot 4K video and 16 megapixel photos through a 150-degree wideangle lens. Robosea claims 90-120 minutes of record time.
With the whole chassis wiggling from the fin’s wagging, I couldn't imagine how any of the videos would be remotely watchable. Robosea claims: “The IMU and exclusive algorithm ROBOSEA™ allows BIKI to keep its balance in the water, so the BIKI Robotic Fish can be used to shoot clearly underwater.”

As far as control goes, above the water it connects via WiFi to your phone or tablet. WiFi doesn’t really penetrate water very far, so you can either program in a patrol route, or use an included underwater remote control that uses “acoustic communication technique” to work up to 33 feet. It doesn’t stream video or photos from under the water, that tech doesn’t really exist.