Jellyfish might not look like advanced swimmers, but they can glide long distances in the ocean while using very little energy.
They don’t have bones or brains like fish do.
Instead, they move using a ring of muscle in their soft bellies that pumps water to push them forward—almost like a natural jet.
Scientists call this ability “embodied intelligence,” meaning that their bodies are naturally designed to solve problems, like how to move efficiently.
Now, researchers are turning jellyfish into “cyborgs” by adding tiny devices to them—without harming the animals.
These cyborg jellyfish could help scientists monitor coral reefs, track oil spills, and study ocean temperatures, all without polluting the environment or using much power.
In a new study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by Dr. Dai Owaki from Tohoku University found a way to gently control how fast jellyfish swim.
They did this by sending soft electric pulses to the jellyfish through small electrodes placed on their muscle rings. These pulses were timed to match the jellyfish’s natural swimming rhythm, which made the jellyfish swim faster without stress.
To better understand and predict the jellyfish’s movement, the team also created a simple artificial intelligence (AI) model.
This model could guess how the jellyfish would swim in different directions by learning from their real-life movements.
Instead of needing powerful computers, this lightweight AI worked alongside the jellyfish’s own body to do the job—almost like the jellyfish was part of the computer.
The researchers found that sending electric signals too quickly or too strongly didn’t help the jellyfish. In fact, it made them swim less efficiently. The best results came from working with the jellyfish’s natural rhythm. This shows that when it comes to nature, sometimes the most effective solution is the gentle one.
The idea of using live animals as part of a robotic system may sound like something out of science fiction, but it opens up exciting new possibilities. For example, soft-bodied animals like jellyfish could inspire new types of robots that are flexible, self-healing, and energy-efficient.
In the future, swarms of jellyfish cyborgs could roam the oceans for months at a time, collecting data on pollution, water temperature, and more—without needing batteries or engines.
Jellyfish were chosen for this research because of how efficient and graceful they are in the water. The team hopes their work will lead to new ways of exploring the ocean that work in harmony with nature, not against it.
