# Biomimetic Underwater Surveillance Robots Boyagongdao's BG-5 Golden Dragon Fish Is Revealed By Amy Duong | Written with AI assistance | Published 2026-09-15 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bg-golden-dragon-fish References: [economictimes.indiatimes](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/china-shows-a-lifelike-underwater-robo-fish-golden-dragon-fish-after-earlier-developing-robo-shark-for-militar/articleshow/134237905.cms)  Boyagongdao Marine Technology Group created the BG-5 Golden Dragon Fish, a 3 kg, fish-shaped underwater robot that copies the form and motion of a golden arowana, featuring a flexible, multi-joint tail instead of a rotary propeller. The machine swims by producing undulating waves along a segmented tail, and onboard sensors let it steer around obstacles without following a fixed preprogrammed route. The dimensions listed are 640 mm in length, 204 mm in beam and 90 mm in height, and it is rated to operate down to 5 metres. The tail assembly uses three primary joints split into seven segments to generate propulsion, yielding a top speed of about 0.6 metres per second. Boyagongdao also describes a BG-5V variant that adds automated path planning, task allocation, formation control and inter-robot cooperation for coordinated missions. The BG-5's small, fishlike profile and autonomous navigation make it suited to confined or shallow-water tasks such as surveillance and reconnaissance where larger vehicles struggle. Its design points toward swarm-capable deployments that could let multiple compact robots divide work and cover areas cooperatively, expanding operational flexibility for marine sensing missions. Image Credit: The Economic Times ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 7.7/10 - Popularity: 84% | Activity: 55% | Freshness: 91% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/robots) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Biomimetic Marine Robotics:** Fish-inspired propulsion systems create quieter, more maneuverable underwater machines suited to sensitive surveillance, inspection and ecological monitoring contexts. - **Swarm Underwater Autonomy:** Coordinated fleets of compact robots introduce new possibilities for distributed sensing, cooperative reconnaissance and adaptive mission coverage in shallow marine environments. - **Propeller-free Aquatic Mobility:** Flexible tail-driven locomotion reduces reliance on traditional rotary propulsion, opening space for safer, stealthier and more energy-conscious underwater robot designs. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Marine Defense:** Autonomous fishlike robots support low-profile reconnaissance and perimeter awareness in coastal, harbor and confined-water security operations. - **Ocean Technology:** Compact biomimetic platforms expand the toolkit for marine data collection, infrastructure inspection and underwater navigation in areas inaccessible to larger vehicles. - **Environmental Monitoring:** Quiet, agile robotic swimmers enable less intrusive observation of aquatic habitats, pollution zones and shallow ecosystems where conventional equipment may disrupt conditions. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Bionic Dual-Vision Pool Cleaners](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bionic-dual-vision-pool-cleaner.md) - [Miniature Flying Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiny-robot.md) - [Swimming Pool Maintenance Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swimming-pool-maintenance.md) - [Water-Based Entertainment Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arivia-watersurface-drone.md) - [Autonomous Hovering Pool Cleaners](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rover-x10.md) - [Advanced Commercial ROVs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/blueye-robotics.md) - [Microscale Swimming Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swimming-robots-1.md) - [Software-Defined Surface Vessels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mirai-robotics.md)