A team of scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence DFKI, Bremen Laboratory has developed a robot that could find its own way underwater.

So far, robots that are used for repairs and other operations underwater are operated fully by the person that is controlling the robot. This person has to guide the robot in almost complete darkness while struggling to fight the currents.

But in the future, these operations could be handled by the robot. The team led by Marcus Maiwald has found a way to print sensors on the body of robot. The sensors are only a few micrometers wide (about half the diameter of a human hair). This way, the sensors can be placed almost anywhere on the robot’s body. The robot uses these sensors to basically gain a sense of touch. This way, the robot will be able to guide its own way around an obstacle.

While the octopus shaped underwater robot looks like a menace, the scientists that built it promise it will only be used for constructive purposes. The technology used is complicated, of course, but the implications of building robots that have the sense of touch are quite interesting.

The robot will be presented during the Sensor and Test trade show that will take place from 26 to 28 of May in Nuremberg, Germany.