The robotic fish you see above is not just a robot which looks like a fish and hangs around in water. This fish has a purpose and that too a noble one…it helps detect pollution in the ocean. But apparently this mission comes with a heavy price. One of these robots cost a humongous $30,000 a piece!

As Treehugger explains, “The 1.5 meter long robotic fish each requires about $30,000 to make. Their purpose is to head out into the open water, take in data about water pollutants, return to a charging station about every 8 hours and while charging, submit data about water quality. The hope is that they’ll lead to early detection of pollution sources such as leaks in underwater pipelines.” Other than the price, another noticeable disadvantage is that these robots only have a battery that lasts for just 8 hours, which although sounds convincing is realistically a very less number when you are considering the medium to be the ocean.

[source: treehugger.com]