Known as Iron Fish, the aquatic robot designed by a student team led by Prof. Jen-Hwa Guo at the NTU Underwater Vehicle Lab earned a perfect score to take first place at the 2014 Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology Underwater Robotics Competition, defeating a pool of teams from ten universities and research institutes, including the University of Tokyo.

Iron Fish was developed by the Department of Engineering Science andOcean Engineering in collaboration with the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology. The fish was builtin order to givethe museum's visitorsthe opportunity to understand the design and operation of autonomous underwater vehicles by witnessing the real application of such underwater engineering technologies as propulsion, control, and signal processing technologies.

Stretching 90 centimeters and weighing 20 kilograms, the sleek robotic fish swims at a rapid maximum velocity of one meter per second. The white fish's belly conceals its essential equipment, including a computer, a power cell, and communications devices. A piezometer and electronic compass, used to determine depth and direction, enable real-time feedback control, and the pair of3D vision camera eyes makes it possible for the fish to judge its distance in its environment.

In addition, Iron Fish's dorsal shark's fin contains a wireless antenna and optical sensor. When the robot surfaces, a wireless network connects to its internal computer, and when it is near the surface an LED light flashing at the fish can update its control software.Still, with all these advanced features, it was ultimately Iron Fish's speedy dexterity at turning in place as well as ascending and descending that proved critical to its claiming victory.