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Lifelike Bionic Fish Robot Steals Show at Beijing Tech Fair

The robot mimics real fish movement and includes sonar for underwater monitoring.

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14 Sources, 20d ago, first seen 20d ago

TLDR

Journalist Li Zexin posted video of a bionic fish robot swimming at the CIFTIS fair. The device uses biomimetic propulsion to move without propellers. It carries head-mounted sonar that monitors surroundings in real time. China News posted separate footage of the exhibit and noted its intelligent sensing features. Other viewers shared the clips and commented on how closely the robot resembles a live fish. The posts identify the demonstration as taking place in Beijing.

Combined views

1.6M

14 Sources, first seen 20d ago

11.2K likes486 comments1.9K saves2K reposts
Featured Source

Combined views

1.6M

14 Sources, first seen 20d ago

11.2K likes486 comments1.9K saves2K reposts

A bionic fish robot drew crowds at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services by swimming with the flexible motion of a living animal.

Video from the Beijing exhibition shows the robot moving through a tank using biomimetic propulsion rather than the exposed propellers associated with many underwater drones. Other posts from the event described a head-mounted sonar system that can monitor the surrounding water in real time.

The fishlike shape is more than a visual trick. A robot that moves with fins and a flexible tail could potentially travel near wildlife with less disturbance, maneuver in confined spaces, or carry sensors for water-quality and infrastructure inspections. Those are proposed applications, not capabilities demonstrated in the short viral clip.

Online reactions split between conservation ideas and surveillance jokes, a sign of how ambiguous underwater sensing technology can feel. The exhibition footage establishes an unusually convincing swimming robot. Details such as range, battery life, sensor accuracy, and real-world deployment remain unanswered.

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14 Sources

@XH_Lee23This isn't a real fish, it's a robot. China has developed this bionic fish robot that swims like a real thing. The "fish" can also monitor underwater surroundings in real time with its head-mounted sonar.
@EchinanewsAt the 2026 #CIFTIS, a bionic fish swam freely in the water, drawing visitor's attention. From intelligent sensing to biomimetic propulsion, Chinese technology is making robots move more like real creatures.
@CGTangRuiWhat's NEW at CIFTIS 2026
@hexidizedChina really said “why build a submarine when you can just invent a robot fish”
@Lumix_exe𝙸𝚃’𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙰 𝙵𝙸𝚂𝙷 China built a bionic fish robot that swims like the real thing and uses sonar to monitor what’s happening underwater. The future is getting weird.
@EvanKirstelI want a fish robot
@AnimeID@XH_Lee23 Coming this summer, Terminator 7: Rise of the Salmon
@KaptanHindustanIf I saw this swimming past me, I'd be 100% convinced it was real. 😳🐟 But this "fish" isn't alive. It's a robotic fish developed by engineers in Beijing, designed to mimic the movement of real fish so accurately that it can blend into underwater environments without disturbing wildlife. Unlike traditional underwater drones with noisy propellers, these robotic fish swim using flexible tails and fins, just like their biological counterparts. Some can carry cameras and sensors, inspect infrastructure, monitor water quality, explore hard-to-reach areas, and even work together in swarms. Nature spent hundreds of millions of years perfecting fish design. Humans looked at it and said, "Let's build one." 🤖🌊 The craziest part? We're getting dangerously close to a future where you won't know whether the fish you just saw is real or a robot. Would you have realized this wasn't a real fish?
@planetclarkeThe concept of using this for underwater conservation monitoring 😍😍😍😍
@nolimitmiracleNow I understand why USA don’t want anything from China. This can be used as spy?
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    14 Sources

    @XH_Lee23This isn't a real fish, it's a robot. China has developed this bionic fish robot that swims like a real thing. The "fish" can also monitor underwater surroundings in real time with its head-mounted sonar.
    @EchinanewsAt the 2026 #CIFTIS, a bionic fish swam freely in the water, drawing visitor's attention. From intelligent sensing to biomimetic propulsion, Chinese technology is making robots move more like real creatures.
    @CGTangRuiWhat's NEW at CIFTIS 2026
    @hexidizedChina really said “why build a submarine when you can just invent a robot fish”
    @Lumix_exe𝙸𝚃’𝚂 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝙰 𝙵𝙸𝚂𝙷 China built a bionic fish robot that swims like the real thing and uses sonar to monitor what’s happening underwater. The future is getting weird.
    @EvanKirstelI want a fish robot
    @AnimeID@XH_Lee23 Coming this summer, Terminator 7: Rise of the Salmon
    @KaptanHindustanIf I saw this swimming past me, I'd be 100% convinced it was real. 😳🐟 But this "fish" isn't alive. It's a robotic fish developed by engineers in Beijing, designed to mimic the movement of real fish so accurately that it can blend into underwater environments without disturbing wildlife. Unlike traditional underwater drones with noisy propellers, these robotic fish swim using flexible tails and fins, just like their biological counterparts. Some can carry cameras and sensors, inspect infrastructure, monitor water quality, explore hard-to-reach areas, and even work together in swarms. Nature spent hundreds of millions of years perfecting fish design. Humans looked at it and said, "Let's build one." 🤖🌊 The craziest part? We're getting dangerously close to a future where you won't know whether the fish you just saw is real or a robot. Would you have realized this wasn't a real fish?
    @planetclarkeThe concept of using this for underwater conservation monitoring 😍😍😍😍
    @nolimitmiracleNow I understand why USA don’t want anything from China. This can be used as spy?
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