This is bird note.

Gen 2 penguins look a little pear shaped on land,

but once they dive into the water,

that shape lets them reach speeds of up to 22 miles per hour.

They're the fastest penguins in the world. It'd be difficult to build a vessel more

streamlined than a penguin. So a group of researchers used the bird's shape

to design a new undersea robot.

Call the quadroon

quadroon its 3D printed body is wide in the middle and ends in a sharp beak-like

point. For propellers at its tail let it maneuver nimbly. The quadroon is packed with sensors for measuring

ocean conditions and currents. The big ocean currents capture most of our attention,

like the Gulf Stream. Alongside the major currents though are smaller spirals called

Eddie's. They're often short-lived making them hard to study but Eddie's are important.

They draw nutrient rich water to the surface,

supporting the plankton that form the base of the entire marine food web.

By exploring eddies, these roboo penguins could help uncover much more about how they work and how they affect ocean ecosystems and maybe shedding light on the processes that provide food for real sea

creatures.

For Bird Note, I'm Michael Stein.