China's Autonomous 'Bionic Robot' Fish

The Robocean BG5 "Spy Fish"

China's viral robot "spy fish," known as the Robocean BG5 (or BG-5), is a lifelike autonomous underwater vehicle designed for covert military operations. The robot, manufactured by Boyagongdao Marine Technology Group, became a major attraction at CIFTIS 2026 and has gained significant attention online, particularly on platforms like Reddit and r/Damnthatsinteresting.

Technical Specifications

The BG-5 is a compact yet capable machine with the following characteristics:

• Weight: 3 kg
• Dimensions: 640 × 204 × 90 mm
• Operating Depth: Rated for up to 5 meters
• Top Speed: 0.6 m/s (approximately 2.16 km/h)
• Endurance & Payload: Undisclosed
• Camera & Performance Details: Not publicly specified

The robot is designed to navigate autonomously around obstacles within a controlled environment such as a tank or underwater setting. Its lifelike appearance comes from its golden arowana design, which closely resembles the real species.

Product History and Availability

The BG-5 has been available since 2023, though its predecessor models have existed earlier:

• BG-5 (current model): On the company's site since 2023; product photos uploaded in August 2023
• ROBOLAB-GL: An earlier robotic arowana robot featured on the Robosea website starting in 2021

The company's broader portfolio includes other bionic robots such as the ROBO-SHARK (described as a quiet platform with a sound-absorbing shell for concealment) and the ROBO-ROV (designed for underwater combat).

Potential Uses

Military Applications

Boyagongdao positions itself as a "military-civil fusion enterprise," emphasizing dual-use technology. Key military-oriented products include:

• ROBO-SHARK: A quiet platform with a sound-absorbing shell for concealment
• ROBO-ROV: Specialized for underwater combat tasks

A company representative, Zhang Yu, stated in a 2025 report that the company's bionic technology "can also be used in military and national defense fields."

Anti-Poaching Potential

Beyond military applications, the BG-5 holds promise as an anti-poaching tool. The golden arowana is a color variety of the Asian arowana, a species threatened by over-harvesting for the aquarium trade and subject to fishing restrictions. A drone-like surveillance fish could deter illegal fishing activities by making endangered species less accessible to poachers.

Design Philosophy and Limitations

Despite marketing claims of versatility across education, research, entertainment, and marine biology, the lack of disclosed performance metrics suggests the device may target a narrower primary market. The deliberate omission of endurance, payload, and battery-life figures raises questions about whether the product is optimized for broad deployment or specialized military use.

Author: Rahim Amir, UAE-based tech writer specializing in PC hardware since 2023.