'Cyborg jellyfish': The future of ocean exploration?

Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Boulder) have developed tiny pacemaker-like devices to guide jellyfish through the deep ocean.

Exploring the deep ocean has long been a challenge, with only 5% of our world ocean currently explored. But it’s vital to human life, affecting the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even our weather.

Most of the ocean exploration relates to shallow waters, meaning that the deep ocean remains mostly a mystery. However, scientists believe that it can hide cures for deadly diseases, as well as various options for sustainable energy solutions.

Some of the University of Colorado at Boulder's researchers are convinced that there are far easier — and cheaper — ways to kickstart that exploration than spending millions of dollars on sophisticated technology. One such solution was offered by Nicole Xu, a mechanical engineer at CU Boulder, who spent years researching the translucent moon jellyfish.

Following the analysis, researchers built tiny microelectronics devices and attached them to a jellyfish to stimulate its muscles. Using the controllers, researchers can nudge jellyfish in any particular direction, allowing them to access even the deepest ocean areas, where robots can’t reach.

The aim is to gather important data on temperature, acidity, and other relevant components.

“Think of our device like a pacemaker on the heart,” Xu said. “We’re stimulating the swim muscle by causing contractions and turning the animals towards a certain direction.”

The research also involves using biodegradable particles to capture flow structures in brine shrimp and jellyfish swimming, as described in the team’s paper published in the journal Physical Review Fluids. This allows them to avoid using conventional synthetic tracers that are potentially toxic and harmful to the environment.

In 2024, NASA launched a satellite mission to monitor our planet’s air and oceans, hoping to elevate our understanding of climate change.