Aquatic robots pulverise massive swarms of jellyfish in South Korea

Aquatic robots pulverise massive swarms of jellyfish in South Korea
New system being tested can eliminate almost half a tonne of jellyfish an hour
By James Vincent – 04 October 2013

Scientists in South Korea have developed a team of aquatic robots dedicated to thinning out the numbers of jellyfish swarms. Known as the Jellyfish Elimination Robotic Swarm (or JEROS) the sea-bound robots use a combined GPS and camera system to detect jellyfish before catching them in nets.

“Once caught, the jellyfish are pulverized using a special propeller,” reads a press release from the Korea Institute for Science and Technology, the home of the project.

The JEROS system is estimated to be three times more economical than manual removal of the jellyfish, with the robots – which travel at a speed of 6 knots or 7mph – eliminating around 400kg of the invertebrates an hour.

The researchers also experimented with arranging their killer ‘ bots into swarms, with a video showing a group of three individuals controlled as one.... MORE at [url]http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/technology-gadgets/aquatic-robots-pulverise-massive-swarms-of-jellyfish-in-south-korea-29635016.html[/url]