back to article Watch: MIT's terrifying invisible gel robo-eels snatch live fish

Watch out – robots are now fast and strong enough to catch live fish and kick balls underwater, according to a group of engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The fancy gizmos aren't like the conventional metallic, rigid droids people often imagine when thinking of robots. These bots are squishy, transparent …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Will Revolutionize the Sport of Fishing

    This is the next thing after sonar!

  2. Yesnomaybe

    Pretty agile.

    Although something pinged off when it jumped over the obstacle.

    (Edit: I AM talking about the Boston Dynamics robot here, not the jellygrabber. Just thought I'd clear that up to avoid confusion.)

  3. frank ly

    Those hydrogel 'robots'

    If you watch the video, you'll notice that they are actuators. The fish grabber is an actuator which has a transparent rod/tube at the top going up to the surface. What you don't see is the operator with his thumb on a syringe plunger and a concentrated expression on his face as he tries to catch the fish.

    1. NightFox

      Re: Those hydrogel 'robots'

      Yes, I was just about to ask what made these "robots" - If I move a ping pong ball by inflating a balloon placed next to it, is that balloon a robot? Is the grabber-rake I use to pick up leaves in my garden a robot?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Those hydrogel 'robots'

        It's a robot in exactly the same way that Seoul National University's robotic water striders are robots.

    2. Cuddles

      Re: Those hydrogel 'robots'

      "If you watch the video, you'll notice that they are actuators. The fish grabber is an actuator which has a transparent rod/tube at the top going up to the surface. What you don't see is the operator with his thumb on a syringe plunger"

      It's all about which is the difficult part. The operator could be easily replaced with a motor attached to an RPi, or any number of off-the-shelf or cheap and easy bespoke systems. The interesting part is that they've managed to make a hydrogel grabber arm capable of catching fish; whether it's currently attached to a robot or simply demonstrating how it could be used when attached to a robot doesn't really matter.

      1. DropBear

        Re: Those hydrogel 'robots'

        Yes, well, it would be a LOT more impressive if it would be catching fish it located on its own using its transparent RPi and transparent camera powered by its transparent pump supplied from its transparent LiPo battery. Oh, and it's totally a robot if all those "robot wars" armoured RC cars robots are robots...

  4. Wilco

    Huge Progress

    The fish is interesting, but the work that boston dynamics have done as part of Alphabet is amazing. And yes, a bit scary. I for one welcome our new roller skating robot overlords.

  5. Dave 126 Silver badge

    Reg headline

    The Reg headline invites us to watch something invisible.

    Impressive!

    1. 's water music

      Re: Reg headline

      The Reg headline invites us to watch something invisible.

      Could you not see the fine clothes that our new hydrogel overlords were wearing?

    2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: Reg headline

      Well, the guy who made Sea Monkeys into a thing also sold "invisible goldfish" for a while.

  6. a_mu

    Not a robot, JUST a grabber

    Accordion type grabbers have been used on robots for years / decades, drive by compressed gas or a hydrolic system..

    The only new thing here is the 3D printed hydro gel

    And as for a hand, as these are X amount water, wonder how long they last in the dry air /sun,

    Even the fish they caught, seems to have been corralled into the glass where it could not escape and grabbed..

    Hyped up !

  7. Fizzle
    Boffin

    Boston Dynamics Robot

    Looks like a glorified Segway to me, or that Lloyds Bank black horse logo.

    Take your pick.

    1. VinceH
      Joke

      Re: Boston Dynamics Robot

      I was waiting to see what sort of vehicle it would transform itself into. From its size, I was expecting a go kart.

  8. Patrician

    It;s not a "robot" as it has a tether and, therefore, is not autonomous.

    1. Tom 38
      WTF?

      So those arm thingies used in factory lines, also not robots?

      1. DropBear
        FAIL

        "So those arm thingies used in factory lines, also not robots?"

        Is there a mook in a white coat standing behind each of those operating each joint manually?

  9. Tikimon
    Angel

    Let's focus on Robo-Gladiators!

    To drive the field of robotics forward at warp speed under a shower of cash, we don't need bomb disposal bots or elder assistance. We need... robo-gladiators!

    Think it through. Televised matches would probably be hugely successful. All the drama of gladiators without the ethical problems of mutilated humans, and easier to identify with than a metal wedge on wheels. A successful Fight Night program would generate cash, where "grant application for robotics development" does not. Get some team identity going and you open up merchandising sales. Active warfare rapidly drives innovation, so teams would constantly be pushing, upgrading and trying new things, partially funded by their cut of the Fight Night take.

    And of course, these improvements would naturally find their way into the assistance and companion bots as well! It's a weird and indirect research funding model, but I believe it would work. And also make for some awesome spectacle, yeah there is that.

  10. israel_hands

    "Hydrogels are soft, wet, biocompatible, and can form more friendly interfaces with human organs"

    Dirty bastard scientists.

  11. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    I for one

    Welcome our new robot jelly fish overlords.

    As for the Boston Dynamics thing.it's like the worlds first robot codger, who falls down stairs then gets up again.

    Sort of like anti obsolescence

  12. Steve Crook

    Anyone reminded of the...

    The water tentacle from "The Abyss"?

  13. rdhood

    Fish?

    That thing can only be considered a fish in a DNA sort of way. Methinks they got the most hobbled fish that they could find.

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