Humans have long incorporated dolphins into their culture. The marine mammals were regarded as helpers of humankind in Greek mythology, associated with deities in Hindu mythology, and thought of as shapeshifters by the indigenous groups of the Amazon rainforest. Their physical features could be a reason why – their permanent slight smiles, created by the natural curvature of their mouths, are endearing and lovable. Many would agree that watching a dolphin jumping on command or catching a fish tossed by a trainer, with a big smile on their face, is adorable. These sights are most commonly seen in aquariums rather than a dolphin’s natural habitat: the open ocean.
However, in recent years, arguments have surfaced calling for the end of keeping dolphins in captivity. Maddalena Bearzi, co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society, is one of the many outspoken critics of this issue. She believes that there are a multitude of reasons why having dolphins in tanks is wrong, including “the poor, often terrible, conditions in which dolphins are still kept in many facilities worldwide, and the high illness and mortality rate of captive animals.” Later, Bearzi also brings up the stress dolphins have to endure when taken away from their “families” and the high death toll from just the process of their capture whilst rejecting claims made in favour of dolphins in captivity.
Dolphinaria (aquariums where dolphins live and are trained for entertainment) often assert that captivity is necessary for researchers to understand more about dolphins. However, according to Bearzi, the artificial settings in aquariums mean “research in captivity provides little knowledge that can be applied to the protection and management of these species at sea.” Another claim that she swiftly rebuts is how captivity protects dolphins from the environmental problems that plague our world today, such as pollution and overfishing, saying that “removing dolphins from their natural habitat to live in tanks will not address environmental issues. And the statement that these programs help endangered or threatened species is faulty, especially considering that the endangered species are generally not the ones being kept in captivity.” Indeed, common bottlenose dolphins are the species of dolphin most commonly found in aquariums, but their conservation status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is Least Concern.
The glaring problems with keeping dolphins in captivity were obvious to entrepreneurs in New Zealand. A company named Edge Innovations had been commissioned to come up with digital components for planned aquariums in China, but many were hesitant to contribute to a project which would harm dolphins. Eventually, they collaborated with the American engineers behind famous animatronic animals featured in Hollywood movies, such as “Free Willy” and “Flipper”, to develop a robot dolphin.
The robot dolphin prototype weighs over 270kg, is 2.5m long and was closely modelled after a bottlenose dolphin. It is so lifelike that a woman who swam with it reported that “when I first saw the dolphin, I thought it could be real.”, and a test audience failed to notice that it was not a live dolphin. This is due to the precise attention to detail by the engineers, who have recreated an accurate skeleton and a representational skin coating (made from medical-grade silicone), and have even stained the robot dolphin’s teeth slightly yellow.
The robot dolphin is remote-controlled by humans, and has a battery life of ten hours. It can behave in a way that is indistinguishable from real dolphins; it can squeak, move its head around and respond to questions similar to how trained dolphins in aquariums acknowledge their trainers. The robot dolphin can even come into close contact with humans to an extent that would normally be harmful to live animals.
Another advantage of this robot dolphin is that aquariums could attract people who had previously been repelled by their use of live animals, and rescue the declining aquatic theme park industry. Roger Holzberg, one of the designers of the robot dolphin, said “the marine park industry has had falling revenues for over a decade due to ethical concerns and the cost of live animals, yet the public hunger to learn about and experience these animals is still as strong as ever.” Edge Innovations founder Walt Conti agreed, claiming that there are 3000 dolphins in captivity today, which ‘proves’ that people are eager to gain an understanding of dolphins.
Robot dolphins will allow people to deepen their understanding of the sea creatures without any actual dolphins being harmed in the process. Instead, as Edge Innovations describes it, art and technology are brought to life. As Holzberg recounted in an interview, “we realized that using animatronics […] enabled us to create characters that truly were loveable, that could really deliver on the idea that we won’t hurt what we fall in love with.”
Animal rights organisations, especially People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have voiced their support for the development of robot dolphins. “In 2020, cutting-edge technology allows us to experience nature without harming it,” said Elisa Allen, the UK director of PETA.
In addition, robot dolphins will last longer than regular dolphins and be cheaper in the long term. A major problem with animals in captivity is that they die much earlier than their counterparts in the wild; bottlenose dolphins have an average life expectancy of 20 years in captivity which is much lower than their expectancy of 30-50 years in the wild. Robot dolphins solve this problem while also requiring less expensive upkeep. An aquarium typically spends a lot of money and effort on recreating an open-ocean environment, but with this new technology, previously important aspects like the calibration of water temperature have been reduced to minor sidenotes, and money can now be allocated elsewhere.
However, it is debatable whether these animatronic dolphins will really reduce costs. Each dolphin will cost around £20.8m, four times more than real dolphins. Edge Innovation claims that their robot alternatives will be “sustainable, safe, and profitable”, but this may not be enough to satisfy potential investors and clients.
Hopefully, all goes well, and Edge Innovation will be able to expand the concept of robot dolphins. People have suggested that these animatronics can be used instead of real animals in movies and marine parks, or placed in cruise ships, hotels, shopping malls and museums. Proposals have even included developing robot great white sharks or marine reptiles from the Jurassic Period for swimmers to dive with.
The first stage of the prototype’s development was funded by a Chinese organisation that has pledged to use robot dolphins, instead of real ones, in the 30-odd aquariums being constructed in China now. Though this implies that these robot dolphins may only be seen in Chinese aquariums in the near future, they have the potential to replace all captive live dolphins in the future, marking a new chapter in both animal rights and engineering.
Written by Ady Lam
Featured Art by Airi Tachino
