21st Century Robotics

Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics of the Marine Life and Uses for AI, UAVs, Robotics, and the Future
By Lance Winslow

Air has 750 times less density as the oceans, yet so many of the same principles apply there as well. We are quite familiar with marine life and the performance abilities of sharks, dolphins, penguins, fish, alligators, etc. Mankind is quite fascinated by marine life and often tries to use these observations to create devices to serve him.

A Great White Shark can swim 7 times as fast as the Olympic swimmers in Athens taking the gold this year, yet it is not even close to being the fastest in the water. Powerful, yes indeed, but the need for speed limits its abilities to catch some of its favorite meals. Luckily humans are not one of them, as much as JAWS I, II and III would have you believe. The Great White Shark swims at about 25 mph. Squids can move through the water at 20 mph. The Blue Shark has been clocked in short bursts at 43 mph yet its average cruising speed in open water is between 17.7 and 24.5 mph. The Make Short Fin can travel at 10 times its body length per second, which is quite fast and amounts to over 46 mph at top speed. It can accelerate at 45 feet per second/ per second, faster than a rock can fall or a human accelerates after he departs a perfectly good airplane in search for an adrenaline rush to achieve sense of purpose. A human can swim at 5.04 mph, but only for short distances and you have to be a Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps to it for very long.

http://www.ncsu.edu/ligon/olympics/Spitz/MarkS.html

As good as these super star athletes are, they are no match for evolution, without modification. You might be happy to know that a barracuda will catch you and nibble before a great white shark will catch you in open water, they can swim at 27 mph, one of the fastest, well and hungriest fish in the water. Mammal Sea Life is quite adapted; Sea Lion 25 mph, Common Dolphin 24.7, Gentoo Penguin 17, Blue Whale 29.76, Bottle Nose Dolphin 17 mph. Many of the fish eaten by the marine life of prey are also quite adapted for instance the Pacific Salmon can swim at 14 mph. Then there are the flying fish, those, which leap out of the water and become airborne, thus proving that there is a similarity between the two realms. The flying fish flies at 35 mph and has been known to fly right into a boat, for an easy catch. The Leaping Albacore Tuna leaps at 40 mph great sushi no doubt, the Yellow Fin Tuna at 46.35, the Sword Fish 60 mph and the Sail Fish at 68 mph. Here is a claim from Barbados that a flying fish was clocked at 55 mph?