Underwater

While we have heard of a few aerial drones that are also able to operate underwater, a new one takes that concept considerably further. Using a fish-inspired suction disc, it can hitch rides underwater – possibly even on submarines – to save power.

Last year, we heard how anole lizards are able to breathe underwater from an air bubble on their nose. One of the scientists involved in that study has now documented a spider doing something similar – although the bubble covers its whole body.

While AUVs (autonomous underwater vehicles) are invaluable for gathering oceanographic data, they also tend to be fairly large and very expensive. The Hydrus offers a much smaller, less costly alternative, which still packs a lot of punch.

Radio waves don't travel well through water, which is why devices such as ROVS have to be linked to their operator via a communications cable. According to a new study, however, solar panels may soon allow for practical light-based communications.

This year's Underwater Photographer of the Year contest delivers the competition’s most spectacular batch of winners to date, including an extraordinary face to face with a Great White Shark and a surreal glimpse at a shipwreck off the coast of Norway.

When it comes to underwater robots, some tasks are easy to automate, while others are best handled by manual remote control. The Cuttlefish offers the best of both worlds, plus it cleverly changes orientation when using its two manipulator arms.

DARPA has awarded Phase 2 contracts in its Manta Ray program, which aims to build a series of underwater drones capable of taking on long-range, long-endurance, autonomous ocean missions without any human support for charging, maintenance or logistics.

In its 17th year the Through Your Lens underwater photography contest continues to deliver an extraordinary assortment of undersea images. This year's highlights include a stunning shot of a shrimp helping clean the teeth of a moray eel.

You can't help but wonder what archaeologists will make of Jason deCaires Taylor's work hundreds of years from now. The British artist's latest thought-provoking project sees the "first-of-its-kind" underwater forest sculpture open in Cyprus.

Even in non-pandemic times, the Great Barrier Reef is still a difficult place for much of the world's population to get to. That's where Teleportal.Fish comes in, as it allows anyone to virtually visit the reef via a live link to an underwater robot.

This new buoyancy energy storage system harnesses a powerful force familiar to anyone who's tried to hold a beach ball underwater, and it could offer grid-scale energy storage cheaper than batteries – as well as super-cheap hydrogen compression.

Blue Abyss Ltd. is building the world's largest and deepest indoor pool in Cornwall. Holding as much water as 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools, it will be used for advanced undersea robotics and as the world's first commercial astronaut training facility.