The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) has developed a robojellyfish which is currently tethered to hydrogen and oxygen tanks, the Huffington Post reports.
The jellyfish is actually a surveillance robot, powered by the atoms around it.
Possible uses of the robojellyfish include spying, mapping and mine detection and removal.
ONR project manager Robert Brizzolara said he doesn’t plan to try making it move autonomously yet.
Ultimately, the U.S. Navy wants “ the next generation of robotics that would operate in that very Navy-unique underwater domain,” said Jim Fallin , a spokesman for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific .
One aspect is finding long-lived power sources to let drones loiter a long time to collect information, he added.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, October 24, 2012; Image: ONR