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Cuttlefish may be known for their enormous eyes and incredible ability to 'disappear' into their surroundings, but it's the creature's undulating swimming technique that has inspired roboticists to create a mechanical replica.

A team of Swiss students have created a four-finned machine called Sepios that glides through water with incredible ease.

The almost silent robot is designed for underwater exploration in areas where noise distresses wildlife and, unlike propellers, its method of propulsion does not stir up sediment, turning water cloudy.

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A team of Swiss students have created a four-finned machine called Sepios (pictured) that ripples through the water efficiently. They were inspired by the undulation motion of the cuttlefish, but the robot has more fins. IT is almost silent and could one day be used for underwater photography projects

The machine was constructed by engineering students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich who were inspired by nature.

It is 27 inches (70cm) long with a 'wingspan' of 37 inches (95cm) nad weighs 51 lbs (23 kg).

Its symmetrical fins were inspired by the cuttlefish and allow it to move in any direction, because they can be steered individually.

While the students do not explain the exact construction of the fins, they are soft with rods inside for rigidity.

They are controlled by a rippling motion using nine servo motors attached to each fin where they join the main body of the robot. 

Meet Sepios: The robot that can mimic a Cuttlefish

The robot's symmetrical fins were inspired by the cuttlefish (pictured) and allow it to move in any direction, because they can be steered individually. Cuttlefish have lateral fins which they use as stabilisers, and for steering and propulsion. They move forward by forcibly expelling water through a siphon

The students claim their robot is more environmentally friendly than devices with propellers, which can be noisy and get their blades tangled in sea grass, for example.

They tested their invention in a French river where they navigated through weeds and grass as well as man-made obstacles to show the agility of the robot.

In contrast to propeller noise, which can stress and confuse marine creatures such as whales and make it hard for dolphins to find food, Sephios is virtually silent.

The students wrote on their website: 'its fishlike appearance and low disturbance are ideal for closing in on fish, making it the ideal device for marine life filming.'

They are working on adding an extra on-board, lasers and a measurement unit to help the robot avoid obstacles that could cause it to crash.

They also want to simplify the current controls to make the robot operable using a single mouse. 

COULD CUTTLEFISH BE THE KEY TO BETTER SOLDIER CAMOUFLAGE? 

The cuttlefish can change the colour and pattern of its skin to stay hidden from predators.

And scientists are looking to the fish's camouflage mechanisms in order to develop futuristic uniforms for soldiers, which could help them to blend in with their surroundings in realtime.

Last January, experts discovered new details about neural organs called chromatophores, which enable the 'chameleon of the sea' to virtually disappear.

Scientists at Harvard University and the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) believe their findings could also lead to new types of paint, cosmetics and consumer electronics – as well as smart uniforms for soldiers that can react to surroundings in realtime.

Scientists are looking to the cuttlefish's (pictured) camouflage mechanisms in order to develop futuristic uniforms for soldiers, which could help them to blend in with their surroundings as well as the cephalopod

The cuttlefish has neurally controlled pigmented organs called chromatophores which allow it to change its appearance in response to visual cues, but scientists have had an incomplete understanding of the biological, chemical and optical functions that make this adaptive coloration possible.

To regulate its colour, the cuttlefish relies on a vertically arranged assembly of three optical components: the leucophore, which is a near-perfect light scatterer that reflects it uniformly over the entire visible spectrum, the iridophore, which is a reflector containing a stack of thin films and the chromatophore.

This layering enables the skin of the animal to selectively absorb or reflect light of different colours.

The team of researchers showed that within the chromatophore, tethered pigment granules regulate light through absorbance, reflection, and fluorescence - in effect functioning as tiny light-sensitive elements, even as the chromatophore changes in size.

'The cuttlefish uses an ingenious approach to materials composition and structure - one that we have never employed in our engineered displays,' said co-author Evelyn Hu, Tarr-Coyne Professor of Applied Physics.