Chinese aquariums eye robotic dolphins amid ban on wildlife trade

Two New Zealand tech entrepreneurs believe their animatronic creation could revolutionise the marine park industry

A robotic dolphin costs between US$40-60 million, which the inventors say costs far less than what a traditional aquarium would pay to maintain real animals

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The robotic dolphin could be a replacement for live animals in captivity. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00am, 21 May 2020Updated: 7:44pm, 21 May 2020

A life-size robot that looks, swims and reacts like a real dolphin: is this a glimpse of the future for marine parks?

As zoos and aquariums in China grapple with new bans on the multibillion-dollar wildlife animal trade amid the coronavirus pandemic, two tech entrepreneurs in New Zealand believe their animatronic creation could revolutionise the marine park industry.

The idea was born when Wang Li, co-founder of Animatronic Entertainment Portfolio, and his New Zealand business partner were asked to design an oceanarium in China with live dolphins and whales in its tanks two years ago.

Neither of them were enthused about the idea of using captive live animals as entertainment. “We believe those beautiful and amazing lives are priceless and should never be displayed in captivity,” Wang said.

The team and a group of clients with a prototype of the robotic dolphin. Photo: Handout

To overcome their ethical dilemma, Wang and Melanie Langlotz, an augmented-reality gaming expert, decided to build their own robotic marine animal. They sought the expertise of two US animatronics experts, Roger Holzberg and Walt Conti, to realise their vision.

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