Robofish makes lab product news headlines

The latest lab product news headlines have featured an unlikely character, in the form of Robofish.

Created by scientists at the University of Leeds, the three-spined stickleback is made from a plaster cast mould and fitted with an acetate fin.

The scientists knew that he looked like a real stickleback - but they had doubts as to his authenticity when placed among real fish.

"We weren't sure whether the other fish would see it in the same light," says experiment leader, PhD student Jolyon Faria.

"We also thought there might be a problem with the smell, as fish use chemical cues in the water."

However, the robotic fish was accepted into the shoal, allowing behaviour to be examined and even manipulated by encouraging other fish to follow the robot.

The university's Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology itself works as part of a community, as collaboration between Leeds research institutes is encouraged and commonplace.