Blimp Swims Through Air Like A Fish A blimp that swims through
the air like a fish has been created by Swiss researchers. The
fish-like airship uses artificial muscles made from
electroactive polymers (EAPs) to propel itself forward. (Diagram
of Electroactive-polymer artificial muscle 'trout' blimp) Empa
researcher Silvain Michel and his team have patented this unique
silent non-rigid airship; it uses its artificial muscles to
power through the air like a trout swimming in a brook. It uses
the same "bending-rotation-stroke" used by fish in the water -
bending its body in one direction and its tail in the other.
According to Dr. Michel: “This technique can be transferred
directly from water to air. A blimp moving through the air is,
in terms of the physics involved, exactly the same as a fish
moving through water. In both cases a body is moving through a
fluid and is subject to the same laws of fluid dynamics.” (EAP
airship moves through air like a fish through water [ETH Zurich
simulation]) The fish-like blim