Knifefish Mine-Seeker Soon to Replace Dolphins

Nov-19-12 The underwater mine-seeking Knifefish may soon put hard working sea mammals out of business.

Because of their use of echolocation (the biological equivalent to sonar), dolphins have been used to seek out underwater mines. However, these animals are expensive to train and maintain, and their use has raised the hackles of some animal rights groups. Enter the Knifefish, a 20-foot long underwater torpedo-shaped robot that can roam underwater for up to 16 hours, using sonar to seek out mines. The Navy expects the Knifefish to be ready for service by 2017, when it will begin to replace marine mammals as mine-locators.

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[POPSCI.COM]
[BBC]

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