When Hans Hartman, a civil engineer, attempted to film the ocean depths in 1917, he pioneered what would become the first deep-sea ROV, or remotely operated vehicle. During an era of silent movies and wartime U-boats, Hartman's ambitious invention--a 1,500-pound electric, submarine camera--could be lowered to a depth of 1,000 feet to capture images of sunken ships and submerged treasures. Despite featuring a gyroscope for stability, a motorized propeller for controlled rotation, and an innovative light source, as Popular Science explained, it had a serious limitation: The hulking apparatus had to be operated blindly from a ship's deck, which meant it was impossible for the camera's operator to see what they were filming until the footage was viewed later. In 1925, Popular Science showcased his next breakthrough--a cylindrical apparatus (seen above) attached to a ship by a cable, housing a submersible, motor-driven camera, as well as enough room for a person who could control the camera, or communicate with crew members nearby to aid with various underwater missions, such as salvaging. The vertical, tin-can-like submarine, equipped with porthole windows and a powerful spotlight, allowed "the operator to go down into the water with a camera and photograph whatever he chooses."

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan's largest and one of the world's leading high-tech applied research institutions, today announced it will introduce AI, robotics and ICT technologies at its CES 2023 booth 9855, North Hall, LVCC and its virtual event site (https://event.itri.org/CES2023). ITRI's CES 2023 highlight technologies in AI, robotics and ICT include AI Aquarium, a CES 2023 Innovation Awards honoree, the world's first smart aquarium that helps identify marine life in real time; Cubot ONE: Indoor/Outdoor AMR, an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) integrating AI, IoT and 5G technologies, that can operate indoors and outdoors, take elevators and travel on rugged ground; and RobotSmith, an AI and robotic system for metal workpiece grinding and polishing. AI Aquarium, a CES 2023 Innovation Awards honoree, is the world's first interactive smart aquarium that helps observers identify marine life in real time. With intuitive virtual-real fusion, the system can recognize aquatic species with up to 98% accuracy and show corresponding information on a transparent display according to an observer's line of sight. AI Aquarium also performs gesture recognition with up to 98% accuracy.

There are few things as fascinating as seeing what people in the past dreamed about the future. "France in the Year 2000" is one example. The series of paintings, made by Jean-Marc Côté and other French artists in 1899, 1900, 1901 and 1910, shows artist depictions of what life might look like in the year 2000. The first series of images were printed and enclosed in cigarette and cigar boxes around the time of the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris, according to the Public Domain Review, then later turned into postcards. Lots of their ideas involve mechanized devices, flying, or a combination of the two.

A high-tech SharkCam invented by a Cape Cod researcher offers an unprecedented window into the lives of the ocean's toothy predators, and can also extend to seals, whales, turtles and squid for a big-picture view of precious ecosystems and how to protect them. "These vehicles, these underwater robots that look like highly complex systems are just an extension of yourself to be able go where people can't go, and there's no limitation to what they can do," said Amy Kukulya, research engineer and principal investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Kukulya helped invent SharkCam, which she called "the Rolls-Royce of tags," more than ten years ago. The technology uses an intramuscular tag on a shark that constantly communicates with an autonomous underwater vehicle equipped with a handful of cameras that follows the animal and provides crucial data such as audio, video, water currents and temperature readings. Researchers have even gotten some of the robots back with huge teeth marks left behind from a curious shark.

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, sometimes called the "rainforests of the sea." Coral reefs are a vital part of marine life, act as guards against forces of nature and are a key source of livelihood for millions. Unfortunately, these diverse habitats are rapidly degrading. Here's how advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) are being used to save coral reefs. Coral reefs are natural protectors for coastlines against storms and erosion.

Salesforce is backing an AI project called SharkEye which aims to save the lives of beachgoers from one of the sea's deadliest predators. Shark attacks are, fortunately, quite rare. However, they do happen and most cases are either fatal or cause life-changing injuries. Just last week, a fatal shark attack in Australia marked the eighth of the year--an almost 100-year record for the highest annual death toll. Once rare sightings in Southern California beaches are now becoming increasingly common as sharks are preferring the warmer waters close to shore.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recently asked UK families to help scientists monitor biodiversity trends by identifying species in their gardens using iNaturalist's Seek app. Participants were able to measure everything from birds and insects to plants, flowers and fungi through the app's artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with the findings used to build a better picture of the nation's wildlife. This is just one example of AI's use in conservation; far larger projects, involving satellite imagery and machine learning, are giving scientists unprecedented insights into the natural world. "The application of AI in wildlife protection is full of infinite potential," a WWF spokesperson tells me. "It can not only improve protection efficiency, but also help protection managers better understand the implementation of their own protected areas."

SoFi, directed with the help of a Super Nintendo controller paired with acoustic signals, has been engineered to help researchers explore marine life more freely in depth, and help us get closer to the expansive ecosystem that blooms beyond what our naked eyes can perceive. SoFi is essentially a soft robotic fish structure that consists of a controller, Raspberry Pi, and HiFi Berry, sealed inside a water proof silicone membrane that has been cast moulded. The membrane is also filled with a mineral oil that is non conductive, and allows for equalization underwater. The Raspberry Pi receives input from controller, after which ultrasound signals are amplified for SoFi through the HiFi Berry. These amplified ultrasound signals, which are interpreted by a modem embedded within SoFi's head, controls everything from directing tail movement, pitch and depth, to the on-board camera.

Those who live along a coastline or vacation there have the privilege of access to activities such as fishing, surfing, and swimming. Mother Nature can turn those coastal regions into dangerous places, however. Threats can come in the form of flash floods, hurricanes, and tropical storms. Those people have to contend with natural disasters and face environmental dangers such as higher tides, lower shorelines, and heightened flood risks. Over the years, engineers have completed projects that make coastal living much safer, such as building effective seawalls and storm drains.

Remote-controlled robot arms allow submersible operators to perform tasks underwater. But can you imagine a rigid metal limb interacting with something as fragile as jellyfish or corals? To be able to capture or interact with marine life, scientists need something softer that can touch delicate living things without squishing them to death. That's why a team of scientists from Harvard's Wyss Institute has developed a soft robotic arm that can "move with unprecedented dexterity to grasp and sample delicate aquatic life." Scientists from the institute have been developing soft robots for marine research for quite some time.