
Overview
Boston Engineering built BIOSwimmer as a tuna-inspired AUV for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, aimed at inspecting ship hulls and other constricted areas that conventional vehicles struggle to reach. It uses an aluminum chassis with a foam exterior and a flooded, modular layout so modules can be enlarged or added for more batteries or sensors. It was shown publicly at the Office of Naval Research Naval S&T Partnership conference in November 2010.
- Type
- Swimming robot · Robot fish & biomimetic swimmers
- Maker
- Boston Engineering, USA (for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
- Released
- 2010
- Price
- Not for sale
- Status
- Not for sale (research)
- Best for
- Professionals & labs
- Programming
- No programmability
Price and shipping
Government-funded prototype
Shipping: Not for sale. Government R&D prototype. Never offered commercially.
Specifications
| Category | Swimming robots · Robot fish & biomimetic swimmers |
|---|---|
| Released | 2010 |
| Country | USA |
| Availability | Not for sale (research) |
| Sales | At least 2 prototypes built by 2013, never sold (estimate) AFCEA Signal ↗ |
| Programmability | No programmability |
| Built-in autonomy | Task-level · Carries out multi-step jobs on its own, such as inspections, deliveries or chores |
| LLM support | None · No built-in LLM and no SDK to connect one. |
| Best for | Professionals & labs |
| Vision sensors | Unknown |
| Actuators | Unknown |
| Audio | No audio |
| Compute type | Proprietary / undisclosed |
| Remote control | Not programmable |
| Size | Not published |
| Propulsion | Tuna-like flexible tail section, flooded, modular hull |
| Depth rating | Not published |
| Tether / comms | Not published |
| Camera | Not published |
| Sensors | Modular sensor bays (not published) |
| Runtime | Not published |
| Speed | Not published |
| Compute | Onboard autonomy electronics in aluminum pressure vessels |
| SDK | None public |
Common questions
How much does BIOSwimmer cost?
Not for sale. Government-funded prototype.
Can BIOSwimmer be bought today?
No. It was never sold to the public.
Who makes BIOSwimmer?
BIOSwimmer is made by Boston Engineering, USA (for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security). It came out in 2010.
Can BIOSwimmer be programmed?
No programmability.
Does BIOSwimmer have AI chat or LLM support?
None. No built-in LLM and no SDK to connect one.
Ratings & reviews
Ratings and reviews load on the live site.
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Image credits
- Image 1: source (Public domain, U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams)