These sea creatures could inspire new underwater robots, study finds
One of the largest migrations on Earth happens in the dark ocean every night, as tiny jelly-like organisms work together to emerge from the deep sea to the surface. Biologists think the ocean migration could inspire future robotic technology.
Researchers published their findings in the journal Science Advances earlier this month, detailing their underwater observations of the "graceful migration" of the macroplankton known as salps, which swim through the ocean by coordinated jet propulsion.
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Oregon Institute of Marine Biology associate professor Kelly Sutherland led the team that developed 3D cameras to study these creatures underwater off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
A colony of salps swimming in the ocean off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Salps are gelatinous macroplankton that can operate in colonies interlocked in a chain. (Credit: Brad Gemmell)
"The largest migration on the planet happens every single night: the vertical migration of planktonic organisms from the deep sea to the surface," Sutherland said. "They’re running a marathon every day using novel fluid mechanics. These organisms can be platforms for inspiration on how to build robots that efficiently traverse the deep sea."
University of Oregon researcher Alejandro Damian-Serrano scuba dives at night off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in search of salps, gelatinous macroplankton. (Kelly Sutherland.)
Scientists scuba dive in ocean waters off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. University of Oregon researchers Kelly Sutherland and Alejandro Damian-Serrano are amongst the divers searching for salp colonies. (Credit: Sean Colin)
According to the paper, these macroplankton live far offshore and can operate alone or as colonies. A colony can include hundreds of salps that form chains several feet long and travel the ocean using a unique swimming technique.
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Sutherland said helical swimming is not a new concept in biology, but salps' motion is different because they move through jet propulsion.
Salps contract muscle bands to pump water from one side of the body and push it out the other end to create thrust. Like a spacecraft firing thrusters to move in space, these tiny creatures propel themselves through water.
Sutherland and the others on the research team witnessed this graceful movement through water in the Pacific Ocean.
"They have multiple units pulsing at different times, creating a whole chain that moves very smoothly. It’s a really beautiful way of moving," she said in a news release.
According to the researchers, studying salps could help develop microrobots that move underwater silently using a similar form of propulsion.