There are various UAVs which are inspired from nature. Wall perching drones, VTOL drones, etc. They have some component in their design which has been borrowed from animals, birds or insects. The concept of the BIKI drone has been inspired from fishes. This drone is a bionic drone shaped like a fish. It does not only look like a fish but also moves like one.
BIKI is one of the first wireless underwater drones. There are similar aquatic drones but BIKI stands out due to it’s unique fish-like design. It has an exceptional Ultra 4K capturing camera which produces some stunning and greatly stabilized footage. It uses its buoyancy control system and underwater suspension to create very stable images and videos. The 150 degree wide lens helps BIKI to achieve this photographic feat. It can dive to a depth of 196 ft. It uses its tail fin for it’s primary movement, thus mimicking the movement of an actual fish.
According to Robosea, the manufacturer of BIKI, it can last for up to 120 mins on a single charge. It has an onboard internal storage of 32 GB and two 114 lumen lights on the front of the drone. It is a very silent operational drone as it produces a sound of just 55dB. It can travel to a maximum speed of 1.12 mph. BIKI can follow a preset route underwater or can be controlled via a joystick which is included with the drone or by BIKI’s app on a smartphone or tablet. It also has built in GPS and obstacle avoidance technology which means that it can blend in well with the marine life, therefore not harming or disrupting the ecosystem.
Through such small and compact drones we might be able to explore much more. 71% of the world’s oceans are still unexplored but with autonomous drones like BIKI we might cover up that gap in time.
Watch the BIKI in action:
