ROBOTIC JELLYSISH!
What is a robotic jellyfish and why was it created?
How does the JenniFish move through the water?
Why are robotic jellyfish better than regular underwater vehicles for studying coral reefs?
What kinds of information can the sensors in robotic jellyfish collect?
What is one major problem scientists face with these swimming robots?
Why might sea turtles be a problem for robotic jellyfish?
Where did scientists test the robotic jellyfish?
How did the JenniFish get its name?
What makes the robotic jellyfish able to squeeze through tight spaces?
How might robotic jellyfish help study climate change?
What Are Robotic Jellyfish?
Scientists have created amazing underwater robots that look and move just like real jellyfish. These special machines are called robotic jellyfish or "jellybots." They swim through the ocean by copying how real jellyfish move their bodies.
Scientists made these robots to help study and protect underwater places like coral reefs.
One of the most famous robotic jellyfish is called the JenniFish.
It was built by Dr. Erik Engeberg and his team at Florida Atlantic University. The JenniFish is about the size of your hand, measuring only 20 centimeters across. It has nine soft tentacles that help it swim, just like a real jellyfish.
The robot got its name from Jennifer Frame, a student who helped create the first models.
How Do They Copy Real Jellyfish?
Real jellyfish are incredible swimmers. They have been living in the oceans for millions of years and have learned the best ways to move through water without using too much energy.
Jellyfish swim by squeezing their bell-shaped bodies to push water out, which moves them forward. They also float along with ocean currents to save energy.
The scientists studied how moon jellyfish move and tried to copy this in their robots.
The robotic jellyfish use pumps to control water flow through their tentacles. When the robot needs to move, it fills its tentacles with water and then pushes the water out quickly. This creates a jet of water that moves the robot forward, backward, or to the side.
The robots are made from soft, stretchy materials that glow in the dark. This soft rubber coating helps the robot squeeze through tight spaces between rocks and coral. The flexible design means the robot won't break easily if it bumps into something underwater.
Why Are These Robots Special?
These swimming robots are much better than other underwater machines for studying delicate places like coral reefs.
Most underwater vehicles use spinning propellers to move, which can be dangerous to sea creatures and coral. The propellers spin very fast and could hurt fish or break pieces of coral if they get too close.
Robotic jellyfish move much more slowly and gently.
If a jellybot accidentally bumps into a coral reef or a fish, it won't cause damage because it's made of soft materials and moves slowly. This makes them perfect for studying fragile underwater environments that need to be protected.
The robots can also swim without being connected to a boat or person on the surface. Many underwater robots need cables or ropes connecting them to people above water, but jellybots can swim freely on their own. This means they can explore places that are hard for humans to reach.
What Can These Robots Do?
Robotic jellyfish have special sensors inside them that work like a brain.
These sensors can measure many important things about the ocean. They can tell how warm or cold the water is, how deep the robot has gone, and what kinds of tiny plants and animals are living in the water.
The robots can also detect if the ocean floor is being worn away by currents or storms. This is called erosion, and it's important to know about because it can hurt coral reefs and the animals that live there.
The jellybots can measure oxygen levels in the water too, which tells scientists how healthy the ocean environment is.
Scientists have tested these robots in the Gulf Stream, which is a huge current of water that flows through the Atlantic Ocean. The jellybots were able to ride along with this current and steer themselves toward areas that scientists wanted to study. They collected important information about the water and the creatures living in it.
Challenges and Problems
Even though robotic jellyfish are amazing, they still have some problems that scientists need to solve.
One big problem is that the robots might swim away and get lost. Since they can move on their own and float with ocean currents, they might end up far from where scientists put them.
The researchers need to find ways to track where the robots go so they can find them later and get the information they collected.
Another problem is that the robots look so much like real jellyfish that sea animals might try to eat them.
Sea turtles love to eat jellyfish, and they might think the robots are food. If a turtle tries to eat a robot, it could make the turtle sick or hurt it. Scientists are working on ways to make the robots taste bad to animals or to give them warning sounds that will keep animals away.
The robots also move in a jerky way that makes them not good for taking videos or recording sounds underwater. But scientists can add other types of sensors to help them study the ocean in different ways.
The Future of Jellyfish Robots
Scientists are still working to make these robots better.
They want to create jellybots that can make smart decisions on their own about where to swim and what to study. Future robots might be able to find gaps in coral reefs and decide whether they should swim through them or go around them.
These robots could be very helpful for studying how climate change is affecting coral reefs and other ocean environments. As the Earth's temperature gets warmer, the oceans are changing too. Coral reefs are getting sick and dying in many places around the world. Robotic jellyfish could help scientists understand what's happening and figure out ways to help protect these important underwater homes for sea creatures.
The technology used to make these robots might also help scientists study artificial reefs. These are human-made underwater structures that are built to replace coral reefs that have been damaged or destroyed.
Why This Matters
Robotic jellyfish represent an exciting new way to explore and protect our oceans.
By copying nature's own designs, scientists have created tools that can study underwater environments without causing harm. These gentle robots could help us learn more about the ocean and find ways to keep it healthy for all the amazing creatures that call it home.
As technology gets better, we might see even more incredible robots swimming in our oceans, all working to help scientists understand and protect the underwater world that covers most of our planet.
Biomimicry - copying designs or processes from nature to create human-made things
Propulsion - the force that moves something forward
Actuators - parts of a machine that create movement
Erosion - the wearing away of land or underwater surfaces by water or weather
Sensors - devices that can detect and measure things like temperature, light, or movement
Prototype - an early model of something that is being developed
Currents - flows of water moving in a particular direction in the ocean
Environment - the natural world and surroundings where plants and animals live
Untethered - not connected by cables or ropes
Retrieve - to get something back or find something that was lost
► COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
— please answer with complete sentences
What is a robotic jellyfish and why was it created?
How does the JenniFish move through the water?
Why are robotic jellyfish better than regular underwater vehicles for studying coral reefs?
What kinds of information can the sensors in robotic jellyfish collect?
What is one major problem scientists face with these swimming robots?
Why might sea turtles be a problem for robotic jellyfish?
Where did scientists test the robotic jellyfish?
How did the JenniFish get its name?
What makes the robotic jellyfish able to squeeze through tight spaces?
How might robotic jellyfish help study climate change?
► From EITHER/OR ► BOTH/AND
► FROM Right/Wrong ► Creative Combination
THESIS — Argue the case that humans — with human brains — are best equipped to explore the oceans, and are far better than any robot.
ANT-THESIS — Argue the case that robots, like robotic jellyfish, are best equipped to explore the oceans, and are far better than humans.
SYN-THESIS — How would you combine these two perspectives?
