A self-powered robot inspired by a fish can survive the extreme pressures at the bottom of the ocean's deepest trench,the Mariana Trench,thanks to its soft body and distributed electronic system - and might help to explore the unexplored ocean.
Li and his team report that their robot that is made from soft materials can operate in the Mariana Trench.
Regular underwater instruments that are made of metals to survive the high pressures of the deep ocean are thick and heavy.But in Li and colleagues' robot,the delicate electronic components are fixed and placed separately in soft silicone（硅胶），which makes it much lighter.Besides,its softness allows it to squeeze into narrow spaces or to travel across uneven surfaces.
One of the difficulties faced by Li and co-workers was finding a way to protect the robot's electronic components from high pressures.Taking inspiration from the bones in the head of the hadal snailfish,the authors put the electronic components apart,rather than packing them together as is usually done in electronic devices.Laboratory tests showed that this design reduces the stress at the borders between components under pressure.The distributed electronics were then fixed in silicone into the robot.This method is more practical,and cheaper than other methods for protecting the electronics in deep-sea devices.
There is,however,more work to do before the ocean can be populated with robots of this type of design.
Li and co-workers' machine is slower than former underwater robots,and could easily be washed away.Its locomotor capabilities will also need to be improved for practical use.However,Li and colleagues' approach lays the foundations for future generations of deep-sea explorers.
These might include monitoring the ocean,cleaning up and preventing sea pollution or preserving marine biodiversity.More fundamentally,they could help researchers to explore the vast unexplored depths of the oceans.



What is the passage mainly about？ ______

A. New findings at the Mariana Trench.
B. A newly-designed underwater robot.
C. The importance of exploring the ocean.
D. The challenges faced by robot researchers.

In what way is the robot different from formerly reported robots？ ______

A. It is made of metal to survive the pressures.
B. It was tested in the laboratory and the ocean.
C. Its electronics are put in soft silicone apart.
D. It could help researchers to explore oceans.

What does the author think about this new type of robots？ ______

A. They are promising and will be put into use soon.
B. They are cheaper and lighter but may lead to sea pollution.
C. They are creative in design but need further improvement.
D. They are practical but have to be tested in different situations.

Who may benefit most from Li and his team's robot？ ______

A. Monitors.
B. Cleaners.
C. Robot producers.
D. Deep-sea scientists.