China has built the first robo-shark (video).

The first robotic whale shark in the world has been created

Chinese company Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Group has introduced an intelligent robotic whale shark, which has become the first of its kind in the world. The size of the device is nearly five meters long and weighs 350 kilograms. Its movements accurately mimic the movements of a real whale shark.

The robot can be used in marine operations and scientific research. It can accelerate to a speed of 0.7 meters per second and dive to a depth of up to 20 meters. In addition, it has optical cameras, sensors, sonar technology, and BeiDou positioning systems.

«This is the largest bionic fish we have studied so far. The whale shark has seven controllable joints, and each of them requires computational, communication, and sensing functions, which is also our key technology», said Gao Chao, a designer at the Shenyang Aerospace Xinguang Group's underwater motion technology research bureau.

According to the report, thanks to advances in materials, control systems, and artificial intelligence, bionic robots like this shark can revolutionize marine operations and scientific research.

Unlike this robot, which was developed by the Boston company Perceptive and uses a handheld 3D scanner for dental treatment. This system creates a detailed 3D model of the oral cavity, including teeth and nerves, using optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology.