Many fish species gather by the thousands and swim in harmony with seemingly no effort. By contrast, most underwater robot collectives rely on centralized, above-water, explicit communication and, as a result, exhibit limited coordination complexity. Florian Berlinger discusses 3D collective behaviors with a swarm of fish-inspired miniature underwater robots that use only implicit communication mediated through the production and sensing of blue light. Image courtesy of Florian Berlinger.

Image courtesy of interviewee. April 6, 2021