By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-26 08:26:56 | Updated at 2025-03-29 11:03:54
3 days ago
In the western Pacific Ocean just east of the island of Guam and a strategic gateway to the second island chain, lies the deepest point on Earth – the Mariana Trench. In the crushing darkness of this hidden realm, China has unveiled a deep-sea technological marvel: a miniature drone, no larger than a briefcase, engineered to succeed where no other machines can reach, including those of the US Navy.
Developed by researchers at Beijing’s Beihang University, the transformer-like robot harnesses smart metal actuators that convert extreme water pressure into propulsion, enabling it to swim, glide and crawl across the trench’s 10.7km (6.6 mile) abyss.
“At a depth of [10km], the pressure (equivalent to 1,000 atmospheres) is like a robot bearing the weight of an iceberg,” said professor Wen Li, chief researcher of the project at Beihang University, in an article posted on the university’s website on March 20.
The achievement, detailed in a landmark Science Robotics study last week, underscores a widening gap between Beijing and Washington. While China completed 246 deep-sea dives in 2024 alone – more than all other nations combined – the United States relies on ageing submersibles like the 61-year-old Alvin, which maxes out at 6,500 metres (21,300 feet).
Wen’s robotic drone uses shape memory alloys for deep-sea soft actuation. The technology cannot only drive the robot under pressure but also helps the submersible’s robot arm carry out various underwater tasks.
The team developed the deep-sea morphable robot with a centimetre-scale soft actuator designed using tube-sealed shape memory alloys (SMAs).
