A group of Swiss university students has built an underwater robot that imitates movements of a cuttlefish.

The students called their machine Sepios or 'cuttlefish robot' and it's capable of diving through an underwater forest in the same manner as a cuttlefish. The robot swims through the water using four large undulating fins capable of rapidly propelling it in any direction.

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"These qualities combined with its fishlike appearance and low disturbance are ideal for closing in on fish, making it the ideal device for marine life filming," the students explained on the project website.

The group built the robot under the Sepios project. They designed the robot after a cuttlefish, which is known for its intelligence and chameleon-like ability to change color.

Sepios is about 28 inches long and has a wingspan of around 37 inches. It can move through the water at a speed of some one mile per hour.

The robot can only be controlled by using a computer mouse. The robot is capable of moving through sea grass or other underwater obstacles without becoming entangled or endangering sea life.

Experts have said imitating the movements of such species might allow robots to reach places that are inaccessible to more traditional robots.

The cuttlefish robot is the invention of Pascal Buholzer and fellow students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

TagsUnderwater Robot, Sepios, cuttlefish, marine animals, sea animals, Robots, cuttlefish robot