Navy drones are now lurking inconspicuously in the deep blue sea sporting a pretty impressive shark disguise. The “GhostSwimmer” drone looks like a fish and moves like a fish, only it isn’t. It is a drone.
The Christian Science Monitor reports that “Navy engineers have developed an unmanned underwater vehicle that looks and moves like a fish. The GhostSwimmer is currently being used to gather ocean and weather data, but could one day be weaponized.” The Washington Post notes that the drone is part of the “Silent NEMO” project. The test run for the drone took place on December 12 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The drone weighs around 100 pounds and is around 5 feet in length. However, it could be modified to other sizes as needed.
The drone looks like a shark — they even gave it a fin! However, the drone was designed to move like a tuna fish. The shark-like drone isn’t the only project the Navy has in the works. The Monitor says that they also are working on a robotic jellyfish that can be used for underwater surveillance . There is also a project that is developing wake-free eel type movements for the drones.
What do you think of the Navy’s new underwater drones? Would you need to do a double-take if you saw one of these swimming in the water next to you?
