Researchers at U-M's Aerospace Engineering Department and its Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories built the new unmanned aerial vehicle called the Flying Fish. It took off, flew and landed autonomously 22 times during two days of sea trials held late last year off the coast of Monterey, Calif. where dolphins swam alongside it.

Researchers at U-M's Aerospace Engineering Department and its Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories built the new unmanned aerial vehicle called the Flying Fish. It took off, flew and landed autonomously 22 times during two days of sea trials held late last year off the coast of Monterey, Calif. where dolphins swam alongside it.

Some beautiful jellyfishes and fishes in the breathtaking Aquarium of Monterey, California, United States. Music of my creation. August 2006.

The gliders are mobile instrument platforms designed to monitor a cold water upwelling that occurs northwest of Monterey Bay every year . The robots will self choreograph their movements like schools of fish. However, they are designed to maintain a much larger average separation than most fish species.

Inspired by the coordination of bird flocks and fish schools, oceanographers will launch this month an entire fleet of undersea robots in Monterey Bay, California. These underwater robots will work together without human input. The goal of this program is to make detailed and efficient observations of the ocean, but it also has larger implications.