Science & Technology - Posted by Fariss Samarrai-Virginia on
Tuesday, July 24, 2012 16:49 - 0 Comments ‘Mantabot’ vehicle
swims like a ray U. VIRGINIA / PRINCETON (US) — Engineers are
trying to recreate the seemingly effortless but powerful
swimming motions of stingrays and manta rays by building their
own ray-like machine. Batoid rays, such as stingrays and manta
rays, are among nature’s most elegant swimmers. They are fast,
highly maneuverable, graceful, energy-efficient, and can cruise,
bird-like, for long distances in the deep, open ocean, and rest
on the sea bottom. “They are wonderful examples of optimal
engineering by nature,” says Hilary Bart-Smith, an associate
professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the
University of Virginia‘s School of Engineering and Applied
Science. They are designing an “autonomous underwater vehicle”
that someday may surpass what nature has provided as a model.
The vehicle has potential commercial and military applications,
and could be used for undersea explorati