Manta ray-inspired soft robot uses magnetic fields to swim and power itself autonomously

Researchers at the National University of Singapore developed a manta ray-inspired soft robot that uses magnetic fields to swim and enhance its battery performance. The flexible zinc-manganese dioxide batteries are stacked within the robot's silicone body, and the magnetic fields that power swimming also stabilize battery chemistry and reduce harmful deposits. Under magnetic enhancement, batteries retained 57.3% capacity after 200 cycles—nearly double that of regular batteries—while enabling autonomous swimming, obstacle detection, and real-time data transmission.