Fish and some amphibians possess a unique sensory capability in their “lateral-line system” (using several thousand neuromasts) that detects changes in water currents, allowing them to sense objects without direct physical contact or to “see” in the dark, Technische Universitaet Muenchen physicists have found.

The research may help endow robots with additional sensors for sound and touch, allowing them to move safely among crowds of people or orient themselves during the exploration of inaccessible cave systems and deep-sea volcanoes.