March 12, 2007 — Thanks to a row of sensory organs along their sides, fish can
avoid obstacles, swim in schools and seek prey, even in dark water. Now, inspired by those "lateral lines," researchers have developed an array of artificial sensors for underwater vehicles.
Equipped with
an artificial lateral line, a submarine or submersible robot could
potentially move through the water like a fish, detecting targets and
avoiding collisions.
"We are trying to develop a new type of sensor for subs that can
detect underwater events, currents and obstacles without conventional
sonar and lights," said Chang Liu, professor of electrical and computer
engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Liu developed the technology with colleagues at the University of Illinois
and Bowling Green State University.
Lights aren't very effective in murky water, said Liu, and sonar can
give away the location of a sub that doesn't necessarily want to be
noticed.
The lateral line Liu and his team developed consists of up to 16 tiny
sensors less than a millimeter tall, arranged in a row that can be up
to a few feet long.
The size of the sensors and the spaces between them
match those found naturally in fish, and they are designed to detect changes in water
pressure and movement.
