an efficient swimming machine instinctive control of vortices lets fish swim the way they do. a robotic tuna has also managed it; boats and submarines may be next … dr. jamie anderson and a design team at draper laboratory developed this vorticity control unmanned undersea vehicle (VCUUV), based on studies the team made of the shape and movement of a real yellowfin tuna. anderson engineered her robot to swim with side-to-side movements of a tuna fish’s body and the tail create vorticity (spiral fluid movement), producing a jet, which propels the fish forward. designed to dive up to 100 feet and swim for 3 hours. what’s Inside? tightly packed inside the waterproof carbon fiber hull are a computer, batteries, motors, and various sensing instruments. the tail is made up of four independent hydraulic links, covered by flexible laminate scales. the scales bridge the gaps between the ribs so that when the tail bends, the outer surface stays hydrodynamically smooth. the freely flooded tail is then covered with a neoprene skin, which reduces drag. link to draper