BANGKOK, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Thailand said Wednesday its ThaiXPole, the world's first underwater robot, is ready to accompany a Thai scientist on an expedition in Antarctica.
ThaiXPole has completed four months of trials and testing and will accompany scientist Voranop Viyakarn in the Japanese-led expedition, the Bangkok Post reported.
"Mr Voranop will be the country's first citizen to set foot on the South Pole and what other way to mark the occasion than to build a unique swimming robot,'' said Itti Rittaporn, director of the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre.
The Thai Robotics Society and the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, in cooperation with Mahidol University, built the ThaiXPole.
"The autonomous underwater vehicle is capable of swimming as deep as 50 meters (more than 150 feet) and is equipped with highly sensitive sensors, can take precise measurements and readings of temperature, salt residue and pH and oxygen levels,'' one scientist said.
"But what sets the homemade robot apart from all others is its ability to withstand temperatures of up to - 40 degrees Celsius (minus 104 degrees Fahrenheit), something that has never been achieved before,'' he said.
