Alum Xiaobo Tan improves robotic fish

ECE/ISR alumnus Xiaobo Tan, an associate professor at Michigan State University, continues to develop his robotic fish.

Tan and his team recently made a number of improvements on the fish, including enhancing its ability to glide for long distances. It now can glide through the water practically indefinitely, using little to no energy, while gathering valuable data that can aid in assessing the level of pollution in lakes and rivers. The fish is equipped with an array of sensors that not only allow it to travel autonomously, but also measure water temperature, quality and the presence of various contaminants.

Tan earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2002 and was advised by Professor John Baras (ECE/ISR) and Professor P. S. Krishnaprasad (ECE/ISR).

| Read MSU’s press release on the fish | View videos of the robotic fish tests | The story was also picked up at NBCnews.com |

| Read our previous news stories about Xiaobo Tan’s NSF “SEE Innovation” feature, his National Science Foundation grant with Elena Litchman, his NSF CAREER Award and an Office of Naval Research award. |

Published January 17, 2013