From afar and even up-close, Edge Innovations’ robotic dolphin looks as well as moves just like its real-life counterpart. This US-based engineering company designed the dolphin, priced between $3,000,000 – $5,000,000 USD, hopes that it can be used to one day entertain crowds at theme parks and zoos, instead of keeping wild animals in captivity. Swimmers could eventually dive with hyper-realistic great white sharks or even aquatic dinosaurs from the Jurassic-era.
Weighing in at 550-pounds (250-kg) and measuring in at 8.5-feet (2.5-meters), this animatronic dolphin has skin that is made from medical-grade silicone. For those who don’t know, Edge Innovations also made the creatures you saw in many Hollywood features, including “Free Willy” and “Deep Blue Sea”.
- Build your own awesome, wearable mechanical hand that you operate with your own fingers.
- No motors, no batteries — just the power of air pressure, water, and your own hands!
- Hydraulic pistons enable the mechanical fingers to open and close and grip objects with enough force to lift them. Every finger joint can be adjusted...
There are like 3,000 dolphins currently in captivity being used to generate several billions of dollars just for dolphin experiences. And so there’s obviously an appetite to love and learn about dolphins. And so we want to use that appetite and offer kind of different ways to fall in love with the dolphin,” said Edge Innovations founder and CEO Walt Conti.
