The Lion(fish)'s Share: Robotic Aid Against Invasive Red Lionfish
In the warm waters off the coast of Florida, Bermuda, and the Carribean, a fascinating new member of the food chain is making quite a splash. Though instead of sporting the expected scales and fins, it's made mostly of plastic tubes and wiring. Being hailed as the 'Roomba of the Sea', these robotic constructs have a prime objective: ridding the waters of invasive lionfish. A lionfish: Image Credit: Tim Proffitt-White https://www.flickr.com/photos/tim_proffitt_white/ Lionfish (which includes 12 species under the genus Pterois ) are beautiful creatures, and have become something of a hallmark ocean species. While not known for their taste, they are popular inhabitants of saltwater aquariums around the world. The different species of lionfish vary in distribution, size, coloration, and so forth, and most are considered model citizens of the ecosystems they inhabit. However, when they escape their native ranges into unsuspecting waters, they can quickly overwhelm their new surr
