Researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have augmented jellyfish with cyborg technology to gather data about how our oceans are affected by climate change.

An interesting fact about jellyfish is that they don’t have a brain. Another is that they have been roaming the ocean for at least 600 million years.

It is this last fact that piqued the interest of researchers at Caltech. As jellyfish are able to journey to depths humans can’t, the researchers considered using them to collect information about the ocean’s temperature, salinity and oxygen levels – particularly how they are affected by climate change.

Led by John Dabiri, centennial professor of aeronautics and mechanical engineering at Caltech, the research team created biohybrid robotic jellyfish.

These ocean-going cyborgs augment jellyfish with electronics that enhance their swimming. They also wear prosthetic 3D printed ‘hats’ that not only enable them to carry a small payload, such as sensors and other electronics...