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The focus centers on "Del," a robot dolphin developed with meticulous attention to realism. The engineers studied thousands of hours of footage, analyzing motion profiles, accelerations, and torques to mimic the fluid, natural movements of real dolphins. Inside Del are joints, servos, microprocessors—all concealed within a crafted exterior designed to look and behave like an actual dolphin.
Remarkably, when deployed in aquariums, Del successfully fooled aquatic animals—the sharks avoided, turtles were terrified, and small fish school underneath—demonstrating that the robot's presence could convincingly mimic real marine life to other creatures in the tank. This success raised a pivotal question: can it also deceive humans?