Engineers Built Scalable Fish-Inspired Robot
The research demonstrated how a single design can maintain swimming movement across various aquatic scales.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Robotics
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In a 2026 study published in npj Robotics, engineers from EPFL and NYU developed and tested a fish-inspired robot named ScaFi at lengths ranging from 0.6 to 2.9 meters. This research-stage project utilized varied aquatic environments, including a Swiss stream and Lake Geneva, to assess scaling performance.
Why it matters
By simplifying the engineering requirements for robots intended for diverse environments, this project aims to streamline the development of aquatic autonomous systems. The researchers focused on how physical scale affects swimming mechanics, which is a critical variable in marine robotics.
The researchers successfully tested prototypes at 0.6, 1.1, and 2.9 meters, using a design where only the fiberglass tail rod diameter was changed to preserve bending behavior. While the two smaller models shared motor specifications, the 2.9-meter variant required a different motor configuration.
The players
EPFL
A Swiss technical university known for its extensive research in robotics and mechanical engineering.
New York University
A prominent research institution contributing to the development of the robot's mechanical architecture.
The details
The ScaFi robot utilizes a rigid front section paired with a flexible tail composed of fiberglass rods. To achieve propulsion, a single motor pulls a crossed-tendon system, which creates an S-shaped swimming motion. The researchers established that by proportionally scaling the tail rod diameter, the robot maintains consistent physical bending behavior even as its overall length changes.
Timeline
2026: The research study was published in the journal npj Robotics.
The Tech Race
This project advances the field of soft-body aquatic robotics by demonstrating a modular design strategy. It follows the research trajectory set by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program to develop highly adaptable autonomous machines.
This technology remains in the research phase and is not currently available for commercial or industrial deployment. Future applications depend on the team's ongoing investigation into whether these designs can maintain high energetic efficiency at larger physical scales.
The takeaway
The study suggests that modular, scale-invariant designs can significantly reduce the engineering effort needed to deploy robots in varied water depths and environments. Interested readers should watch for follow-up research from the team specifically regarding the energy expenditure benchmarks of these prototypes.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in modular machine design, visit our Robotics section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Robohub.
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