Cyro: the creepy autonomous robot jellyfish that could eventually patrol the oceans of the worldMadison Ruppert Other research includes insect-like drones capable of carrying out lethal missions, a silent drone inspired by owls, bird-like drones already used in the field, an amazingly fast robot modeled after a cheetah, a strange animal-like walking drone and more lifelike humanoid robots that can approach animal and human efficiency. The prototype robotic jellyfish, dubbed Cyro, is 5 foot 7 inches, weighs in at 170 pounds and was created under a project funded by a $5 million grant. The grant was funded by the same agency behind the insanely fast, GPS-guided projectile program, so while it may sound great that it could be used to keep tabs on ecologically-sensitive underwater areas or to help clean up oil spills, the reality is that the military applications will obviously be given priority. Virginia Tech: Autonomous Robotic Jellyfish from virginiatech on Vimeo. Imagine a fully-realized version of such a robot running underwater surveillance missions for the U.S. Navy the marine version of a weaponless drone, in other words, perhaps poking around someones oceanfront property (or, heaven forbid, employed in a civilian capacity by ignoble paparazzi to stalk celebrities), writes Matt Peckham for Time. Cool, but a little creepy, right? We intend to leave it in the ocean for as long as we can. So were talking weeks and months, and even more if we can, said Alex Villanueva, a graduate student at Virginia Tech working on the project. This jellyfish-like design would also have a massive advantage in terms of stealth, according to Danger Room. Mimicking a natural animal found in a region allows you to explore a lot better, Villanueva said. Yet the most noteworthy of all is that it is what Danger Room calls a launch-and-forget robot in that Cyro is not remote controlled but instead runs totally autonomously. While Danger Room reports, Theres no saying whether the Navy will purchase the bot, and its inventors are comfortable emphasizing its civilian potential as an oceanographic research testbed, Geek.com reports that the researchers were awarded a 5-year grant. Did I forget anything or miss any errors? Would you like to make me aware of a story or subject to cover? Or perhaps you want to bring your writing to a wider audience? Feel free to contact me at admin@EndtheLie.com with your concerns, tips, questions, original writings, insults or just about anything that may strike your fancy. Please support our work and help us start to pay contributors by doing your shopping through our Amazon link or check out some must-have products at our store. This article first appeared at End the Lie. Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis databaseEnd The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. He is available for podcast and radio interviews. Madison also now has his own radio show on UCYTV Monday nights 7 PM 9 PM PT/10 PM 12 AM ET. Show page link here: http://UCY.TV/EndtheLie. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 