Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence department have created a Soft Robotic Fish (nicknamed SoFi) which is able to swim and blend in with real fish while observing and gathering data from them. This remarkable bot is not only cool and adorable, but it also paves the way for the future of lifelike Artificial Intelligence.
Think about it: We have already reached the point where we can create a robotic fish which is capable of fooling real fish into thinking that it’s a real fish. Granted, fish aren’t the smartest of the creatures on this planet, but they can usually tell when something is out of the ordinary and quickly swim away. SoFi, however, seems to be accepted as one of their own. How long will it take for us to create a robot that can fool more intelligent species? Specifically, how long will it be until Soft Robotic Humans are roaming the streets as if they weren’t born yesterday? Perhaps more importantly, is this something that we actually want?
The benefits of a robotic animal like SoFi are obvious: It allows us to get up close and personal with these foreign species and learn more about them. This benefit of course translates to other wild animals like birds, bees, lions, etc. We humans cant swim with the fishes, roost with the birds, visit the hive with the bees or roar with the lions, but a robot like SoFi sure can. So it makes sense to invest in this type of technology for research purposes. But when it comes to replicating humanity, things get a bit trickier. I’m pretty confident in saying that most humans in this world would not appreciate being secretly observed in their daily lives “for science.” Of course, it’s still hard to say whether or not this would even be possible, but the existence of Sofi and the technology behind it leads me to believe we may be closer than most of us think.
Regardless of its possible concerning implications, SoFi is a truly amazing feat of engineering. If nothing else, these Soft Robots will bring an epic evolution to the Nature Documentary genre. For more information about the tech behind SoFi, check out the video at the top from MITCSAIL.