Since before the 17th century people have associated spring and the month of April with bunnies. This came from early ideas that bunnies represented spring and renewal. Today we still see this tradition with images and depictions of bunnies being found all over during springtime. Due to their popularity, bunnies can now be found in advertisements and product packaging, such as the numerous chocolates that line supermarket aisles in the spring. Bunnies are so popular that they have even made a splash in the scientific community and there are now bunnies bouncing around the ocean floor – well, kind of. Jorunna parva, commonly known as the sea bunny, is a species of nudibranch found throughout the Indo-Pacific Ocean. These cute looking creatures are actually a type of sea slug and get their name from their fuzzy appearance and their rhinophores (sensory receptors) that resemble bunny ears. Unlike the bunny species we are used to seeing on land, sea bunnies are often only less than 1 inch long. These animals spend their time exploring the seafloor and snacking on seagrass, algae, and small marine animals. Although they are known to snack on those foods, their main course is actually sea sponges. This diet choice causes sea bunnies to produce very strong toxins, making them quite dangerous. Scientists however have been studying nudibranch toxins and are in the process of using them to create cancer treatments. These treatments could help renew the health of many people, carrying on the bunny legacy, even from under the sea. 

National Robotics Week was created to share the significance of robotics technology and to encourage students in the robotics and STEM fields. This year, the national event runs from April 8th to April 16th. Robotics technology touches many aspects of our lives and can be found in a variety of environments – including the ocean. Both the ocean and ocean exploration have been dramatically influenced by robots and those working on the technology behind them.

The ocean covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface and greatly impacts the world’s climate and food supply. And yet, most of it remains largely a mystery, with more than 80% being uncharted, unexplored, and even unseen by humans. Difficulties arise because not only is the subject vast and little-known, but research efforts can also be expensive and difficult due to the visibility, temperature, and intense pressure levels found when exploring the depths of the ocean. Advancing technology within robotics has helped humanity begin to explore this otherwise unexplorable realm.

Marine robots range in size and abilities. They include profiling floats, gliders, and propeller vehicles, which can include human-occupied vehicles (HOVs), remote-operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and hybrid vehicles. These machines have a wide variety of purposes, including seabed mapping, inspection of reef conditions, detection of marine species, researching of climate conditions, assessment of environmental health, patrol of illegal fishing operations, ship navigation, and monitoring and aiding in environmental disasters such as oil spills. Both individually and when compounded together, robots and the information they gain can garner significant information. For example, thousands of simple floats or gliders move throughout the world today and are used to collect information on the conditions and properties of their assigned area. This creates an autonomous network through which scientists receive critical information about the ocean’s environmental conditions and changes worldwide.

Robots are used around the world to help with everything from everyday chores to solving complex crisis. Marine robots are no different. Technology is poised to keep advancing within ocean robotics, and this will hopefully lead to a better understanding and protection of our important and necessary ocean habitats.