Navy spy "fish" could be operational next year

12/13/2014

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The functions of the Ghost Swimmer, a biomimetic device modeled after the bluefin tuna, is demonstrated at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014 in Virginia Beach. (Rich-Joseph Facun | The Virginian-Pilot)

VIRGINIA BEACH

It looks like a fish, sort of.

It swims like one too, if you squint.

It's even named after a fish - OK, a Disney one.

The Navy is hoping that'll be enough to get the little swimmer into enemy territory undetected to patrol and protect U.S. ships and ports from harm.

Project Silent Nemo is under way this week at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, where a team of civilian engineers and military officers are testing the capabilities of a 5-foot, 100-pound experimental robot that's designed to look and swim like a bluefin tuna.

The robotic fish glided through the harbor Thursday as sailors took turns controlling it with a joystick. It can also be programmed to swim on its own. The robot's black dorsal fin poked above water as its tail wiggled back and forth, propelling it almost silently just below the surface.

Nemo was developed by the Office of Naval Research and is being tested by the chief of naval operation's Rapid Innovation Cell - a group of junior Navy and Marine Corps officers tasked with putting emerging technologies to use for the military. The same group has been playing around with 3D printers, augmented-reality glasses and about 10 other breakthrough gadgets.

The idea of deploying robots that mimic the biological traits of living creatures isn't new, but until recently, it existed mostly in the realm of science fiction. The Navy says Silent Nemo - also known as GhostSwimmer - could be operational within the next year.

"This is an attempt to take thousands of years of evolution - what has been perfected since the dawn of time - and try to incorporate that into a mechanical device," said Jerry Lademan, a 27-year-old Marine captain who's leading the project. The idea is to "essentially reverse-engineer what nature has already done."

Typical unmanned underwater vehicles are torpedo-shaped and propeller-driven. The natural swimming motion of a fish makes far less noise and is more difficult to detect with sonar devices.

"The first time I saw it, I thought it was a living fish," Lademan said. "It looks alive. It's crazy."

The Navy envisions deploying a fleet of robotic fish to patrol harbors or swim into hostile territory. Nemo could be used to search for sea mines or inspect ship hulls for damage - two critical tasks that often put humans in harm's way.

For now, the fish is just a prototype, content to swim quietly through friendly waters.

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