"It" looks like a "she" from a distance underwater. And this swimming "robo-mermaid" named "OceanOne" is the first of its kind in the world.

OceanOne is a humanoid robot designed to accomplish delicate tasks underwater. It recently took its first operational test dive in the Mediterranean Sea and recovered a 17th century vase from the sunken wreck of a French man-of-war La Lune from the time of Louis XIV.

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Designed by Stanford University, OceanOne relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to accomplish its missions. It also possesses haptic feedback systems that give its human controller the unparalleled ability to feel what the robot's hands feel. Its controller uses joysticks to maneuver the humanoid from a boat.

The female looking OceanOne stands some 1.5 meters tall. It has stereoscopic vision for better vision and a pair of fully articulated arms. It's steered by eight multi-directional thrusters and can operate at depths in excess of 100 meters.

It took the Stanford team led by Oussama Khatib four years to design and build OceanOne. Khatid said the aim of the team was to build a robot that can be the physical representation of a human. In other words, the orange colored OceanOne is an avatar that allows its human controller to be present virtually.

He said the most amazing thing about the robot is that the human controller can feel what the robot's hands feel through haptic feedback, a technology popularized by mobile phones.

"It's almost like you are there," said Khatid. "With the sense of touch you create a new dimension of perception."

OceanOne finds its way underwater by using its cameras and sensors to detect the environment. Its AI allows it to avoid colliding with underwater objects. But in case it senses it can't avoid a collision, the humanoid will extend its arms to soften the impact, a very human response.

Stanford researchers intend to have OceanOne explore coral reefs and underwater disaster zones, including radioactive ones, among many other sites.

Their main goal is to build a robot that can tackle tasks that are too dangerous or physically impossible for humans to safely accomplish. They intend to build fleets of these robots to allow humans ot explore more of the ocean depths.

TagsOceanOne, Stanford University, Oussama Khatib