The Brief

For years, scientists have been fascinated by the way octopuses move — fluid, flexible and without the limitations of bones. But observing these complex motions in the extreme conditions of the deep ocean’s midnight zone, where sunlight does not penetrate, has been an enormous challenge.

Now, researchers at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s Bioinspiration Lab have developed a new imaging system that records these movements in more detail using a light-field camera system, without disturbing the animals.

The imaging technology, dubbed EyeRIS, relies on an array of microlenses at the front of the camera to capture multiple perspectives in a single shot. It films in low light to observe from a safe distance to avoid physical contact, making sure the animals are undisturbed.

“One of the things that we’re really focused on is how do we observe life in the ocean, but also how do we observe it in such a way that is noninvasive?” said Kakani Katija, MBARI’s principal engineer.

Scientists used EyeRIS to study deep-sea octopus and shared their findings in the scientific journal Nature. The researchers launched the camera using a robot controlled remotely from a nearby ship.

It traveled to the Octopus Garden located off the coast of California in the heart of the midnight zone, around 10,000 feet underwater, where thousands of pearl octopuses gather to brood their eggs.

Studying the animals in their natural habitat allowed researchers to capture behaviors that would be impossible to replicate in a lab.

“EyeRIS allowed us to follow several individuals as they moved, completely unconstrained, in their natural environment,” said Crissy Huffard, a senior research specialist, in a statement. “Our team was able to get 3D measurements of their arms in real-time as they crawled over the rough terrain of the deep seafloor.”

Traditional 3D imaging requires multiple cameras, but EyeRIS captures all the visual data in a single shot, a crucial advantage for working in deep, remote, and dynamic underwater environments.

“For the first time, we can get really detailed measurements of fine-scale movements of an animal body,” Huffard said. “The data that we’ve collected gives us information like the entire surface of the animal — how does the animal’s whole body move and change and deform?”

One of the most intriguing findings was how the octopuses use their arms when crawling across the sea floor, creating “hinge” points — fixed locations along the arm that act like temporary joints during movement. “They’re not moving that hinge point or that contact point all along the arm,” Katija said. “In fact, it’s really just happening at a constrained location.”

By concentrating strain and bend around these fixed points, the octopuses make it easier to control their limbs. “This allows them to have simple, but sophisticated, control of their arms,” Huffard said.

Developed by researchers in MBARI’s Bioinspiration Lab, the EyeRIS camera system (right) enables near real-time three-dimensional imaging and visualization in a compact payload that can be deployed to depths of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet).

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Joost Daniels/MBARI © 2021

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Engineers have looked to octopuses when designing what they call “soft-bodied” robots, which can slink and squirm into confined spaces inaccessible to humans or even more rigid robots.

They have been used in search and rescue operations, manufacturing and even space exploration.

And this study improves our understanding of how octopuses move, and could help reimagine robotics for these and other areas.

MBARI’s innovative EyeRIS camera system collects near real-time three-dimensional visual data about the structure and biomechanics of marine life.

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Courtesy of MBARI © 2022

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In the medical field, for example, soft-bodied robots are used for noninvasive surgery, prosthetics and more.

Beyond its engineering applications, Katija emphasized that EyeRIS offers a new, noninvasive way to study marine life. Rated for use down to more than 13,000 feet, it can be deployed on remotely operated vehicles to study animals from the sea surface to the deep seafloor.

She also stressed the importance of studying these species in their natural, and often vulnerable, habitats. “We’re studying animals in environments that are really threatened thanks to human activities,” she said. “Really understanding these animals in their natural environment is incredibly important before these systems change, and in some cases, irreparably.”

A slow leak from a chemical tank smeared an orange cloud across the sky of a Southern California neighborhood on Tuesday, but authorities said they quickly got it under control.

Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Aaron Katon said authorities responded to a business that makes cleaning products after receiving a call shortly before noon about the cloud. Police evacuated a nearby middle school as a precaution, Katon said.

They do not yet know what the chemical was, but all shelter-in-place orders have been lifted, he said. The regional air quality management district has deployed staff to the area to investigate, said Connie Villanueva, a spokesperson for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The company, Shepard Bros., could not immediately be reached for comment.

Three company employees reported minor respiratory irritation and declined further treatment, Katon said.

The leak occurred in the city of La Habra near a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial warehouses about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Anaheim.

Keary Godinez, who works in a nearby restaurant, said she saw what appeared to be a dark yellow cloud spread across the sky. The 20-year-old said she watched students across the street board buses to evacuate, but police told her the eatery could remain open.

“It looked like pollen dust,” Godinez said, adding she didn’t detect a smell from the cloud. “It just kind of smeared in the sky and started going away.”

La Habra Mayor Jose Medrano had urged residents to shelter in place and said some streets were being evacuated.

Luis Gomez, who manages a nearby pickleball program, said earlier Tuesday he saw the cloud, called police and was told anyone within a mile radius of the location was under an evacuation order.

The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Phil Jackson outside their downtown arena next year.

The Lakers announced the plan Tuesday to honor Jackson, who led the Lakers to five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances during two stints totaling 11 seasons as their head coach.

The statue will be unveiled April 9 before the Lakers’ home game against Minnesota.

After his famed tenure leading Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to six championships, Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 and immediately began another era of major success for the 17-time NBA champion franchise.

His first three teams in Los Angeles won championships behind the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and the Lakers added two more titles in 2009 and 2010 led by Bryant and Pau Gasol. His Lakers also made the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2008.

Jackson set the Lakers franchise record for coaches with 610 victories while leading his teams to the playoffs in every year of his tenure, which ended in 2011.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson will be the ninth person associated with the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside their arena. He joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bryant, O’Neal, broadcaster Chick Hearn and former coach Pat Riley, whose statue was unveiled earlier this year.

Jackson’s 11 championships as a head coach are the most in NBA history. The North Dakota native and former New York Knicks forward is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.