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A research team at Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, has developed a fully transparent, jellyfish-shaped bionic robot capable of intelligent underwater exploration and environmental monitoring. Nicknamed the “Underwater Phantom,” the 120-millimetre-wide, 56-gram robot is powered by electrohydraulic artificial muscles and hydrogel electrode materials that enable it to replicate the smooth movements of a real jellyfish, Global Times reports. It’s also equipped with a miniature camera and an embedded artificial intelligence (AI) chip that lets it identify underwater targets, while a low power consumption design means it can spend long periods of time underwater. [See more: Beijing is investing millions in an AI ecosystem built entirely with Chinese technology] Professor Tao Kai, who led the project, said the robot’s low power use, minimal noise and high biomimicry make it ideal for deep-sea monitoring, ecological observation and infrastructure inspections. He described the development as a breakthrough for deep-sea exploration in extreme environments. Another Chinese university, the Beijing Institute of Technology, recently unveiled a way to turn real-life bees into flying cyborg surveillance systems by strapping a tiny, brain-controlling device to their backs.
