RoboLobsters: the beauty of biomimetics.

Abstract

L obsters have a keenly developed sense of smell, which they use to detect and trace the odor of their food to its source in the ever-turbulent ocean. Scientists working in a new field known as biomimetic robotics believe that humans can solve real-world problems by dissecting this and other forms of animal intelligence, and then using that knowledge to design, build, and program autonomous machines with similar superhuman capabilities. Eventually, such robots could be used to track and pinpoint underwater sources of pollution, detect and locate mines and other unexploded ordnance, and even troll the ocean's depths for thermal vents and other locations offering untapped natural resources.