Scientists from Japan have developed a mechanism that allows control the movement jellyfish to be used for ocean research and monitoring.
Jellyfish move with the help of soft abdominal muscles that create a wave that pushes the jellyfish forward. They are able to move long distances with minimal energy consumption, without causing harmful effects on the environment, unlike artificial deep-sea vehicles created by humans.
A team of researchers led by Associate Professor of the Department of Robotics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University Daiya Owaki modeled the behavior of jellyfish during movement using weak electrical impulses. They also used an artificial intelligence model to predict the speed the swimming of each jellyfish.
As noted by Owaki, the researchers sought to identify the characteristic impulses that drive the jellyfish to swim at a certain speed and without causing stress. They also explored the possibility of developing a special AI-based model that would provided for movement jellyfish in each direction.
The scientists placed tiny electrodes on the jellyfish’s muscle ring and applied short electrical pulses every 1.5-2 seconds. Each swim was recorded by a camera with two mirrors.
The most effective impulses were those that coincided with the jellyfish’s natural rhythm, which allowed them to increase their speed. The data was loaded into a lightweight hybrid AI model that considered the body of a jellyfish as an integral component of a computer system.
«We were intrigued to find that the most effective control signals were not fast pulses, but those that reflected the natural rhythm of the jellyfish. Attempts to use more powerful or faster pulses resulted in reduced swimming efficiency and chaotic movements, which emphasizes the importance of conforming to the rhythms of nature rather than opposing them», — Dai Owaki emphasizes.
The kind of jellyfish that are controlled remotely could move in the oceans, monitoring temperature, salinity, and plastic pollution levels In robotics, soft-bodied organisms could inspire innovations in designs that have flexible and self-healing properties.
The results of the study were published in the journal Nature
Source: TechXplore
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