For a long time, the sea and rivers have not only been the source of livelihood for millions of fishermen, but also a treasure trove of resources that nurture Vietnam's cuisine, economy and culture. But few people expect that, in the digital age, there are "robot fish" quietly swimming under the water, contributing to changing the way people raise aquatic products.
At the National Innovation Center for Digital Fisheries in Beijing, two fish robots with sparkling metallic scales are swimming gracefully in the tank. These are the tuna robot and the dolphin robot, the research products of a team of experts from China Agricultural University (CAU), with the goal of supporting fishermen, reducing the arduous work at sea.
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| Fish robot developed by a research team at CAU. Photo: CGTN. |
According to Associate Professor Liu, a member of the research team, these robots simulate the natural swimming characteristics of tuna and dolphins, helping to patrol, inspect cages, monitor the health of fish and support the harvesting process. Previously, to inspect a 400-meter diameter fish cage, fishermen had to spend 3-4 days diving manually, which was laborious and costly. Now, the fish robot only needs about 4 hours to complete the job.
Not only agile, the "technological fish" are also very intelligent and skillful. The research team designed the robot to be elongated in size and move smoothly so as not to stress the fish or disturb their living environment. What is especially interesting is that when the fish robot swims, the farmed fish often naturally follow, as if led by a "leader" in the school.
Behind that simple appearance is a complex technological system: a two-axis motor that simulates the movement of fish fins, sensors that monitor water quality and fish school behavior in real time, and an ultra-light AI chip that helps the fish robot self-adjust and adapt to many underwater environments. Thanks to that, fishermen can easily control the amount of food, monitor fish health, reduce waste and lower farming costs.
Not stopping there, the fish robot also opens up potential applications in deep-sea exploration and monitoring marine ecosystems without disturbing the natural environment. According to the research team, the device has collected more than 200 terabytes of video data and tens of millions of photos of underwater life - a valuable source of data to develop AI models for the future aquaculture industry.
Currently, fish robot technology is being deployed in 23 regions, supporting the management of more than 6.3 million m² of onshore aquaculture farms and 5.5 billion m² of offshore ponds and farming areas, helping to reduce labor costs by up to 50%.
When technology and nature are in harmony, water fields not only feed people, but also become a symbol of efforts to apply artificial intelligence to the conservation and sustainable development of marine resources. Robot fish, seemingly unfamiliar, are quietly revolutionizing the aquaculture industry.
Besides China, many countries in Asia are also investing heavily in the application of high technology in the aquaculture industry, especially Japan and Korea. Although they have not yet widely deployed the model of fish robots leading and managing fish schools like China, these two countries have made important strides, laying the foundation for the trend of smart aquaculture.
In Japan, businesses and research organizations are focusing on applying AI and IoT technology to optimize fish farming processes. Many water environment monitoring systems have been deployed, using sensor-mounted buoys to continuously measure indicators such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. The collected data is transmitted directly to the processing center via 4G or satellite networks, helping fishermen to monitor and adjust environmental conditions remotely, limiting risks. In addition, Japan has also developed an intelligent automatic feeding system, integrating AI to analyze fish eating habits, calculate the appropriate amount of food, thereby minimizing waste and environmental pollution. Although biomimetic fish robots have not been applied to production practices, Japan is a pioneer in building a digital aquaculture platform.
In Korea, the approach is more inclined towards research and development of biomimetic fish robots. AIRO Inc. has successfully manufactured a fish robot called MIRO - one of the most advanced fish robots simulating natural movements today. MIRO has a streamlined design, is friendly to the aquatic environment and has the ability to swim flexibly like a real fish. The robot is equipped with infrared sensors, AI systems and IoT connections, allowing the collection and transmission of water environment data in real time. With a large capacity battery, MIRO can operate continuously for 22 hours underwater, performing more than 50 different swimming styles.
However, in Korea, MIRO fish robots are currently mainly used in the fields of entertainment, scientific research and education - appearing in aquariums, amusement parks, or serving water sports activities. Integrating MIRO into large-scale aquaculture systems is still not popular, partly due to high production costs and infrastructure adjustment requirements.
It can be seen that while Japan focuses on monitoring technology - remote control and automation of farming processes, Korea focuses on developing bio-simulated fish robot technology, but practical applications in aquaculture production are still limited. In comparison, China's smart fish robot model is one step ahead when combining biological factors - AI technology - practical applications in large-scale aquaculture management and harvesting.
