A large number of robots have been designed to operate in or
near water, whether fresh water or the salty seas. Military,
homeland security, and naval operations are some of the more
obvious application areas. For example, Bluefin Robotics'
autonomous underwater vehicles and the Hawkes Remotes remotely-
operated vehicles are designed for reconnaissance, surveillance,
and detecting unexploded ordnance. Like many of their unmanned
ground vehicle counterparts, they can go where humans can't.
These, and other mostly autonomous robots are also aimed at
scientific exploration and data gathering, as well as
maintenance of ships, oil and gas pipelines, telecommunications
cables, or alternative offshore energy installations. Some
target water or environmental health monitoring. Click the image
below to see 13 examples of these sea-worthy automatons. Festo's
AquaPenguin is one of many projects the company has pursued
under its Bionic Learning Network. The network's purpose is to
use the energy-efficient principles alrea