The Technology

Controlled by a fish tail made from natural rubber and high elasticity alloy, BIKI uses a “bionic sonar echolocation process” to pinpoint objects in its underwater environment. The wireless unmanned underwater drone can reach speeds of 1.12 mph and is an ultra-silent (55 dB) device keeping the abyss below undisturbed by its hovering presence.

As far as underwater drones go, this is probably one of the most technologically advanced when it comes to its swimming capabilities. Based on the reverse Von Karman vortex street theory from fluid dynamics, which is a “repeating pattern of swirling vortices caused by the unsteady separation of the flow of a fluid around blunt bodies,” according to the company’s Kickstarter campaign. Simply put, BIKI can swim like a fish and detect the presence of other objects using its groundbreaking sensor technology.

Intelligent Design

Robosea, the company behind the world’s first bionic robot fish, uses state-of-the-art infrared technology to keep a lookout while it navigates the underwater environment. Whether it’s the return to base mode, automated obstacle avoidance, or the route customization feature, BIKI is a highly intuitive drone that propels itself through the water with ease. The bionic snorkeling movement, according to Robosea, is all thanks to the Inertial Measuring Unit (IMU) and exclusive Autonomous Control Algorithm ROBOSEA.

Capturing incredible underwater shots depends entirely on stabilizing the camera in a turbulent environment and lighting quality. Armed with a 150-degree wide-angle lens, 2 x 114-lumen lights, and 32 GB of internal memory, users are able to capture 2.2 hours of HD quality video with 1080p picture quality in complete darkness under water. BIKI’s anti-shake camera platform backed by an eccentric pan and tilt head is the magic behind the always-stable HD shots.

Durability

Operating BIKI can be done using the included controller or by accessing the Robosea app on your smart device. Protected by both ABS Crashworthiness and resistance-to-weathering glass fiber, the portable underwater drone is protected from extreme temperatures ranging from 32-158-degrees F. That means BIKI is impervious to extended time in the sunlight and frigid underwater conditions. It’s also protected with one of the most sophisticated obstacle avoidance sensors powered by infrared ray technology – making it difficult to crash into underwater obstacles.

Real-World Application

If you want to capture your snorkeling adventure off the coast of Negril, Jamaica, BIKI is the perfect device to make it happen. Simply customize the route and let it swim as you get your snorkeling gear ready. If you want to use BIKI as an underwater surveillance drone, you have a good 2.2-hour window of live video streaming – so making sure the children are safe while playing in the deep end of the pool has never been easier. Finally, capturing the always-difficult underwater selfie is now a seamless process with this intelligent robot fish.