How robots could end animal captivity in zoos and marine parks | Just Might Work 

Do you think we should replace captive sea animals with robotic ones?

I remember watching a dolphin trainer doing her thing in the Caribbean, and I asked her where she kept the dolphins. She said they aren't held, they just show up and have fun doing their thing and getting their treats, and then they go back to the ocean. I asked what if they don't show up? She said, "then they don't. I don't want to make a dolphin do something they don't want to do." It reminded me of what I learned in India, that the villages used their elephants to help them with a great deal of tasks, but the elephants always went home to their families at the end of the day. They weren't kept, and they always came back to interact some more.

This is gonna be the future of tourism. Imagine a prehistoric aquarium where you can swim with the creatures.

I think a full-blown animatronic dinosaur/prehistoric animal park done right would be a HIT. Kids of all ages love dinosaurs!

Something to consider, I worked at a zoo and a lot of the animals there were rescue and could no longer survive in the wild alone. We had a bald eagle that poachers injured so bad, she could no longer fly so we had her living at the zoo. We had lions who were declawed and found in someone’s back yard (could no longer survive in the wild). There are special considerations. People should always educate themselves before jumping to conclusions. But I do like the idea of robot animals.

*puts robo dolphin in real dolphin tank* “Hey, have you met Jeff yet?” “Oh yeah, cool guy, he doesn’t talk much though.”

Just imagine a huge realistic animatronic megalodon swimming in a huge enclosure, that you could safely swim in, that would be absolutely terrifying yet awe-inspiring.

I think this is a great idea! But the animals can’t be released after being in captivity for so long, so the answer to that problem would be to send animal sanctuary, the reason I think this is because if they have been taken care of their whole life by humans, they wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. That's why I think sanctuaries could solve this problem

This sounds like a really neat idea. Realistic robots that could still provide entertainment and teach us about marine life.

Just imagine the kind of zoos that could be made with these. Not just conventional animals, but with giant squid, great whites, mosasaur, dinosaurs, dragons, etc.

I don't know if someone has mentioned this yet, but imagine an entire zoo filled with animatronic creatures that are extinct. Imagine walking around and seeing things like the dodo bird, the woolly mammoth, quagga, tasmanian tiger, irish elk, baiji dolphin, etc. Think of the wonder behind it all. Not only would it be incredibly fascinating to see these once extinct creatures moving around and acting how they would've hundreds of years ago, but the possibility of research and future studies we could learn and develop from it would be extraordinary! Edit: i think some people are missing the point i was trying to make :/

Who else wants to see a reaction of real dolphines with this robot one Also imagine seeing what you think is a normal person just walking, but then you slowly start seeing there's something off about them 💀💀

I'm so proud of everyone in this comment section sharing their nuanced perspectives. I worked in a zoo for 4 years and they did so much good to help animals who couldnt survive in the wild, educating the public, breeding animals that had been extirpated in the wild, and donating so much to conservation and habitat preservation/restoration. Yes, there is good and bad about zoos and marine parks, but I'm so glad so many people know the issue isnt straight black and white.

This will open up more tech jobs because someone needs to maintain the animals, and with robots, there is always a level of coding. The level of realism is crazy.

Okay end marine parks, cool. However DO NOT close credited zoos, they are essential for conservation and breeding programs to save species. Proper zoos are not like roadside zoos! edit: Wildlife Sanctuaries DO NOT have active breeding programs, they just let animals do their own thing without closely monitoring or interfering. Zoos keep extensive records of animal family lineages to prevent inbreeding and allow for careful monitoring of pregnant animals and young. This especially important for animals that have genetically bottle necked like Amur Leopards and Cheetahs where Zoos have to try and get the least related animals as possible to breed. Not to mention proper zoos are important for the public to have empathy for endangered species and acquire funding for these breeding programs, the ignorance and shortsightedness in the comments is disappointing.

A good idea, but I’m wary of the anti-captivity message. A lot of animals are in zoos for a reason (injury, breeding programs for endangered species, other circumstances), and painting a negative picture of zoos as a sad place where animals go on display and suffer, that benefits no one- not even the animals. Credible modern zoos put real effort and care into animal husbandry, providing enclosures with enrichment and settings that suit an animal’s individual needs. They’re a necessary tool for teaching the public about animals, and for animals that are struggling in numbers, and injured with no hopes of survival in the wild- they’re fantastic. Some animals are disproportionately mistreated in captivity- dolphins and orcas absolutely- but I still think it benefits no one to sell this idea by painting that old line about zoos being awful. We can respect and recognize accredited zoos while also recognizing that some animals do not do as well in captivity, or have been exploited beyond what is typically seen of display animals.

This is actually a really cool idea. With this you can literally make anything. Like sea dragons or an ocean creature that looks like an alien.

One thing I hope we don’t lose is places for animals who can’t be rehabilitated to live as close to their wild homes as possible. Where they have access to medical care and enrichment. This video is phenomenal, as is the technology behind it. A Jurassic sea park would have me in tears. But I hope we continue to keep as much good as possible

Oh my god. I’m BEGGING them to make a prehistoric sea park.

I think the best option would be to use these for shows and stuff while genuine rehabilitation happens for endangered/injured animals. They could constantly be doing that alongside having these robots. Also, i swear I heard that some of the animals like performing so a limited amount of that I don’t think is necessarily a bad thing

I love this idea, and Del is beautiful. Not past that uncanny valley yet, her skin texture is clearly a big issue, but the movement was really nice and fairly natural looking. The movement of the water helps enormously.

Imagine you fall into a robotic gorilla exhibit and the zookeepers are FORCED to kill Harambot 😔

Cool, imagine a future jurassic park with robot dinasours too!

I worked for two years as a host of a circus show in a dolphinarium and I can say with confidence that this robot is a real work of art and the pinnacle of technological progress. The future belongs to this. If we also add artificial intelligence to it, which would predict the behavior of a machine based on a billion videos of real dolphins, then it would not be distinguishable from the real one even more.

"Or maybe even dinosaurs" *Jurassic Park theme intensifies*

"Maybe even dinosaurs" You're playing a risky game here👥🦖

Employees in the future - "Did you remember to plug in the dolphins?"

I think something needs to be adressed... There are many zoos out there that ARE keeping animals in captivity, but a lot are atcually rescueing animals and giving them a secound shot at life. I have been to countless zoos thats animals are there becuase they CANT be returned back to the wild, not becuase they want to keep them for show.

The cost of trying to replace captured animals would be astronomical. How can a human-controlled machine display the same level of excitement, believability, and unpredictability? People expect animals to mess up from time to time, and I believe that's part of the charm. I feel as if people would become bored knowing that it's only a machine.

This is such a win-win innovation! Yes, please!

"We'd love to bring back the Jurassic Seas" *_sweats profusely thinking about seeing a life-sized Mosasaurus_*

Its a bit strange thinking about going to an aquarium to watch robots swim. It reminds me of how eventually tech will take over our entire world. It's ironic that we're using tech to say "hey protect actual nature." I'm not totally sure how I feel about this

Imagine a perfect balance: using these robots for shows and display, while still using those profits for the vital conservation that many zoos currently contribute

It would be interesting to incorporate cameras in the eyes so they could respond to visual (and even audio) cues. Letting trainers and people interact with them easier. This could also let them communicate with other robots underwater using frequencies above human hearing to act as a social group and work together like actual animals would

Having an interaction with a robot dolphin is like going to a museum of replica artifacts.

This is one of the coolest things I've seen in years, if you can do this with all the super dangerous animals and prehistoric animals it will be world changing

This is throwing fuel on the fire of the "birds aren't real" movement.

I really hope this becomes the future! I hate seeing animals in cages

jurassic sea is an amazing idea, animatronic of giant extinct creatures swimming around is absolutely something that i need to see

I really didn't believe that was a robotic dolphin, it looked so realistic

Imagine walking through a zoo when all of a sudden a pack of free roaming robo alligators walk past you

It would super lower the costs of the parks too - no animal food, no pen cleaning, no medicine, less specialists needed

The long awaited sequel to Detroit: Become Human we are proud to announce Sea World: Become Dolphin

“Mom, the dolphin is short circuiting again!”

This is so innovative! Not only would it help with conservation since zoos could put a lot more of their profit towards that instead of feeding and caring for animals, but this has a HUGE learning possibility. This could help schools teach their kids in a far more hands on way and really has such a big potential to pave the way to better ways to conserve the animals in the wild and not have to put them in cages to raise funds to help their wild counter parts. I really hope this goes somewhere and they really get the lift off they need to make this a reality. I'd absolutely donate towards something like this.

7:00 because that would be teaching children that dangerous animals aren't actually dangerous, which isn't the case in the real world. Also, if these robots are labeled as real, it would be lying to the kids, which is not right. Honestly, i wish something could be changed about captive animals (for example only having animals in zoos which are not able to be returned to the wild or being rehabilitated), but i'm not sure if robots is the answer.

I could imagine a fantasy themepark, with dragons, unicorns, fairies, and sirens, etc.

Imagine you are a kid an your entire life you thought that the dolphin was real... The realisation of the kid that it was just a robot must be lifechanging haha.

The animatronic sharks from deep blue sea still blow my mind with how real they felt.

That Dolphin freaked out so bad after vibe checking that robo dolphin with echolocation. He's like...Wait a minute...Wait a Minute!

Okay, this is quite literally the coolest thing I've seen all year-. . .

A big issue that they don't address in this video is that you can't release marine animals that have already been born and raised in captivity. That includes orcas, dolphins, etc...as they would die in the wild, not knowing how to fend for themselves. Therefore, none of them will ever be "freed" in their lifetimes. That also includes permanently disabled marine animals that are unable to be released back into the wild.

Those kids at the pool look so excited to see Del. I love that Honestly, I'd love this idea! Though the animals raised in captivity can't be released into the wild, as they can't fend for themselves. There's other options for that, I hope. I would LOVE to see a dinosaur zoo that utilizes animatronics made to recreate our current ideas of these lost giants. Then again, that's me being a dinosaur nerd ^^

You could eventually make a real-life Jurassic Park with this technology. Something inspiring and worthy of respect.

To be honest .. this dolphin robot looks like they have passed the uncanny valley already .

This is a hologram of a tree, In memory of a real tree. - The Simpsons.

Places like sea world are absolutely horrible. I really hope we put the money in to protect these animals. thank you for making that possible.

Omg, they have the insides of one of the sharks from “Deep Blue Sea”?! And also THE Anaconda?! My inner movie animatronic nerd is coming back. These guys are the legends

So, the rise of robot overlords begins in a marine park……….wasn’t my first guess.

This actually seems like the optimal idea for the future. I was at a zoo the other day, and except for the bears, most animals were hiding, sleeping really far away or just staring. My brother even asked if they were real. Imagine robotic animals, like tigers, lions, leopards and you could have them actually do things. You wouldn't have to feed them so it would cut the costs for zoos during low seasons. PETA wouldn't have activists going crazy about it. Also imagine bringing back extinct animals with robotics, it would be like going to a museum, but instead of looking at dead, stuffed animals, you could have prehistoric animals walking around, and it would be a much more fun way of learning about them. Like one of those 3D rides at universal studios, you know harry potter isn't actually there on a broom, but it's still an amazing experience and so fun!

I think the money being put into making robotic animals to replace real animals in captivity should be put into better enclosures, treatments, and resources for the actual animals and the people taking care of them.

It is NOT about entertainment! We need zoos/aquariums/safari parks for conservation. Some in the wild to keep the ecosystem going. Some in good captivity for conser Proper accredited zoos, aquariums and safari parks help endangered species and take good care of their animals! What is bad and cruel: Circuses, Some owners of some wild animals as pets, Trophy hunting, Canned hunting,l Sport hunting, The illegal pet trade, The legal pet trade, Poaching, The bushmeat trade, Factory farming, Intensive crop farming/horticulture, Killing animals destroying/killing livestock pets and people and property, Habitat destruction the soy particularly palm oil industries are huge part of that, BAD zoos I. e. Roadside zoos. Human overpopulation! Many animals are born in zoos/aquariums/safari parks so don't know any different. Good zoos/aquariums/safari parks do: Captive breeding for conservation, Have bloodlines to prevent inbreeding,k Education about endangered species and conservation, Reasonably large enclosures, Make enclosures similar to the wild, Vet care, Enrichment like hiding food or hanging it up a pole for an animal to jump up and catch; or putting food in balls to fall out when rolled about, Good diets, Rehabilitating so animals can live in the wild again, Also some help to heal and release when there is a disaster like wildfires and oil spills. Sadly bad 'zoos' and 'aquariums' and 'safari parks' do exist and give the good ones a bad name. Zoos that allow petting lion cubs etc are not good zoos. Some 'sanctuaries' are bad! And in general sanctuaries don't breed for conservation; they are more for keeping animals that can’t be released a good life for as long as they live. Zoo associations some of the good ones ‪www.goodzoos.com‬ British/Irish ‪en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_Irish_Association_of_Zoos_and_Aquariums‬ ‪www.eaza.net/about-us/‬ (Europe Association of zoos and aquariums) ‪www.waza.org/en/site/home‬ (world Association of zoos and aquariums) ‪en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_zoo_associations‬ And some aquariums: ‪www.conservationinstitute.org/10-largest-biggest-best-aquariums-in-the-world/‬ ‪www2.visitsealife.com/london/conservation/‬ ‪www.national-aquarium.co.uk‬ ‪www.zaccconference.com‬ ‪www.livingcoasts.org.uk‬ ‪www.livingcoasts.org.uk‬ images I've been here and it has huge nets suspended by poles s the birds have lots of space to fly. Its easy to see the netting so it's not a hazard to birds as they are visual animals like humans. Palm Oil has over 200 names! Source: orangutanalliance.org/whats-the-issue/alternative-names-for-palm-oil/ 10 animals saved from extinction by zoos: Arabian Oryx, Przewalski’s Horse, California Condor, Corroboree frog Bongo, Regent honeyeater, Panamanian golden frog, Bellinger river turtle, Golden lion tamarin, Amur leopard. Source: medium.com/taronga-conservation-society-australia/10-endangered-species-saved-from-extinction-by-zoos-682c454d0125

I get that the robots would be good for the entertainment purposes. But there are zoos and aquariums that are for conservation/rescue places for animals becoming extinct or injured. Let's not give a bad name to all of them. I still say yes for the robots bc itll be safer for the guests to interact with.

I mean, I'm all for getting rid of captive animals used purely for entertainment purposes, especially marine parks, but let's also not demonize the zoos that actually do really important conservation work. Just make sure you're doing your research before looking at a random zoo and demonizing it since not all zoos are created equal

I would absolutely love this idea for lots of critters we cant (and shouldn't) keep in captivity! There are some zoos near me that only take in animals that were rescued from exotic pet industries or accidents etc. They have beautiful enclosures and youre welcome to visit, but they dont force the animals into any spaces or keep them in viewing areas; if the animals don't want to be out, they don't have to be, they're probably elsewhere in their large enclosure. Those are the kinds of zoos/Aquariums that i think we could still have. We should use the robot animals for nore interactive activities/zoos!

They should add speakers and program the dolphins so they can talk. Imagine a dolphin just swimming up to you and just saying "spare some change" then swimming back to the worker there and give them the money. Or put it in some sort of container

Ok obviously this is a genuinely good idea. But also I love that our solution to have less lawsuit making zoos was to just make fake zoos instead.

People with robots taking their jobs: “THEIR GONNA TAKE OUR JOBS!” Animals with robots taking their jobs: “bye bye have a good time!”

I love this. It’s so hard to watch dolphins stuck in their tanks - this is our first step to improve their lives and protect the environment 🐋

0:54 what is indominus rex doing there Your next robot is realistic indominus? Lol

I kinda hope to someday also use this to spy on REAL dolphins in their habitat someday so they can study dolphins like never

Am I the only person who watched this and thought immediately of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? A world where we’ve wiped out most animals and have built robot versions to make ourselves feel better about the ecocide. Of course, humans would never be that short sighted.

So imagine the little kids finding out years later that what they thought was a real fish was really a scam lol

This is so sad for the fish that will be out of work. The one job I thought that AI could never touch, theme park animals, gone forever.

“Version 3.0, Swimming completely on AI” So this is how robots take over the world. The dolphins…

I love this idea, and I find it hilarious that there is a possible future when a free-swimming dolphin robot in an aquarium could have a software crash, making visitors think they just witnessed a real dolphin straight up die. What do you do then? Do you just stick a paper sign on the tank wall? "Sorry, we are experiencing technical difficulties. Ecco will be back soon!"

I love the people who care deeply for animals to the point they dedicated their lives to create these animatronic models to prevent harmful things happening to the real animals. But please don't teach humans to do things to the animatronics that should be avoided to do to the real creatures. Imagine kids (and adults) thinking it's safe to touch tigers or thinking all animals love to be petted. That sets a really bad precedent that will backfire when they encounter the real thing.

My brain refuses to perceive the robot dolphin as a robot.

K this is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, just everything about it, the release and stuff of trapped animals, the education, and the possibility of more animals that won’t hurt you but have the same mannerisms INSANE

I'm picturing a real life Jurassic Park and it sounds amazing, to be able to walk with dinosaurs that we never got to see or experience. Could you imagine going to the Zoo without any enclosures or cages, just animals roaming around.

Please don’t try and close credible zoos though because they’re essential for preserving endangered wildlife. Animal sanctuaries are important too but they let the animals do their own thing and only monitor them from a distance. Sea world can burn though

No more animal suffering, no more human death. Best of both worlds

We should do this with dinosaurs and make a almost real Jurassic World/park

Dolphins: “So long and thanks for all the fish!”

Imagine controlling this dolphin with virtual reality and looking socially awkward to real dolphins.

i like the idea that did bring this project to life, also like the fact you actually are giving a solution for the animal parcs future rather than expecting them to simply shut down their business, but i am also concerned about a future where we wouldnt interact anymore with wild life, parked in big cities, going in zoo to see robots imitating the nature that used to live here.. For most of us we already are so far from it, i cant imagine how it could be in 20 to 30 years when watching this its probably better to keep robots in cage rather than living animals, but is it really good at the end? when you do interact with real animals, there are things happening you would have to reproduce with a machine and AI, such as his interpretations of the moment and feelings, his reactions related to it, if its a small fragile creature you are gaining trust over time, or a big one who could kill you in one shot, this kind of feelings you can get. Petting a robot tiger wouldnt be the best reminder of what we are in this world and could enhance the feeling we are sitting appart from it. It would be important to implement some individual behaviors, to represent the fact 2 tigers are not just 2 tigers, each one will have his own interpretation of the surrounding, his own character etc hope im just the guy who sees the glass half empty, amazing work anyway a solution is better than none

imagine in the next 100 years where everybody has died and the dominators of this world are robotic dolphins

I swear every time I see cool innovations like this I’m like I want to go back 5 years back when I was 14 so I can live to see what the future holds

I do think one thing we need to be aware of with this is that we still need to put a healthy amount of respect into these individuals visiting these animatronic parks! If you see an animal in the wild, you don't interact with it and you observe and appreciate it from a safe distance. Otherwise, this seems cool!

this is a really cool idea. lots of overhead with respect to existing animals in captivity, along with initial investment money concerns, but I could definitely see this gradually being integrated into zoo systems. it sounds like a great idea, safer for everyone and more humane in the long run

"Plug your animals in at night to charge" Boy that's a sentence I never thought I'd hear

Imagine a future with an entire park dedicated showcasing all of the animal kingdom in indistinguishable, life-like animatronic animals you can interact with and touch in simulated natural habitats. Imagine playing with elephants, lions, dolphins and even dinosaurs instead of ripping animals away from their natural homes to display them in a cage. I really hope this goes big and expands into a massive industry.

to everyone saying things like " you can't release them or they'll die " or what about the rescues " they have special rehab centers for that kind of stuff it's crueler to use these animals that were abused by people in the first place for a profit. rather than rehabilitating them or keeping them in a sanctuary to live out, they're lives with respect and peace and not like some sideshow attraction, zoo animals only live HALF of their original life span in captivity that's more or less 16 years you can either wait till they pass or you can just replace them with robots and let them live in a sanctuary in peace, difficulty is not an excuse for neglect.

Imagine having robotic pets like this that have the benefit of you know NOT DYING

“It cost 3 to 5 million to make” And that’s why SeaWorld isn’t gonna do this.

I know that a lot of aquariums have dolphins that are actually rehabilitated and can't go back into the wild. They should 100% have a LOT of space but they still can't go in the wild most of the time

An interesting concept. I used to work in a marine park for 14 yrs until my position was eliminated. I heard the question asked several times about keeping cetaceans in captivity. Given the plight of all cetaceans in the wild I would answer that if it wasn't for marine parks no one would care or know about whalers and such. Plus the person who asked the question wouldn't know or care if it wasn't for that park. It got them motivated to become involved. The smaller marine parks have been shut down due to lack of attendance, bad publicity, and in the case of where I worked the lease of the land ran out and wouldn't be renewed. None of the dolphins or sea lions were released. They were sold to another attraction outside the US. All of those animals were PreAct meaning in captivity before the Marine Mammal Protection Act went into effect. Technically they didn't exist and the MMPA didn't cover them. All this was 30+ yrs ago and I'm sure though not positive all the dolphins I knew have passed on.

We "lock up" cats, dogs, birds, and tons of other pets at home and no one says boo until a theme park gets a big fish.

0:55 - they have a diagram of a dinosaur in the background….. Do they plan on doing this with DINOSAURS?!?! A robot Jurassic park would be so cool….

Dolphin at 3:28 - "Bro, I know a terminator when I see one..."