Soft manta ray robot glides electrically through the sea

This robot is the work of a team of researchers at Zhejiang University in China. It's got a soft body, it's all-electric, and it can move at over 12 feet per minute. "The robot is mainly for the exploration of ocean, rivers and lakes, and to monitor the data like temperature, water density and chemical components," says Tiefeng Li, principle author of the study. Beyond that, Tiefeng envisions the robot as a tool to "explore the bottom of the ocean, investigate shipwrecks,look for planes that have crashed into the ocean, and to monitor creatures under the sea." And when built with a transparent body, the robot becomes almost invisible in the process. That, combined with a body so soft it won't damage coral, means robots like this could be invaluable scientific tools for exploring the nooks and crannies under the surface of the ocean.