3D-printed underwater robot for port security

摘要

In September, at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in Chicago, USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, researchers unveiled an oval-shaped submersible robot, a little smaller than a rugby ball, with a flattened panel on one side that it can slide along an underwater surface to perform ultrasound scans. Originally designed to look for cracks in nuclear reactors' water tanks, the robot could also inspect ships for the false hulls and propeller shafts that smugglers frequently use to hide contraband. Because of its small size and unique propulsion mechanism - which leaves no visible wake - the robots could, in theory, be concealed in dumps of algae or other camouflage. Fleets of them could swarm over ships at port without alerting smugglers and giving them the chance to jettison their cargo.