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| January 19, 2001 No.0898 | ||
| MHI TO PRODUCE FIRST LIFELIKE ROBOTIC FISH AVAILABLE ON MARKET - 70 cm Long "Coelacanth" to be Displayed at Aquarium - |
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| Tokyo, January 19, 2001 -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has started production of the world's first, radio-controlled lifelike robotic fish to be made available on the market, dubbed "Mitsubishi Animatronics." The animatronic device is in the likeness of a coelacanth, an ancient fish called a "living fossil." MHI is creating the lifelike creature in the hopes of marketing it and similar animatronic system to amusement parks and aquariums. | |||||
The completed coelacanth, as well as a special water tank and a computerized control system, are scheduled to be delivered to the "Aquatom," in March 2001, a 3,000-square meter science museum currently being built in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, and to open in June 2001. The robot fish will be exhibited to the public from June at the entrance hall of Aquatom The artificial coelacanth, measuring 70 centimeters long and weighing 12 kg, will be powered by an internal battery and controlled automatically by a computer. MHI has employed its elastic oscillating fin propulsion control system* to reproduce the lifelike swimming motions of a real fish. The technology synchronizes fin movements on the fish to control both thrust and direction. The body of the fish is partly made of silicone plastic, an elastic material.
Compared with a prototype model, the major feature on the production model is further improvements in movement. This has been achieved by increasing the number of controlled fins. While adding fins has made it more difficult to control the balance of the fish, the end result is superior lifelike movement. Synchronized ventral fins have been added to the production model, whereas pectoral fins and a caudal fin were already present on the prototype. Another feature of the artificial fish is its fully automated operating system. When visitors press a button at the front of its holding tank, the coelacanth will start swimming and, when its battery runs low, the fish will automatically swim to a recharging unit. This feature eliminates the need for an operator during regular exhibition of the fish. By incorporating its advanced technologies and accumulated experience, MHI has been able to reproduce the coelacanth, a rare, deep-sea creature, which the public would seldom have a chance to see in real life. The company's Mitsubishi Animatronics marketing division hopes to market its work to amusement facilities and aquariums.
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