This Project Grant award of $535,465 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will support collaborative research by Tufts University to investigate how fish achieve rapid and extreme underwater maneuverability. The research aims to reveal how fish dynamically modulate their body stiffness and damping to enable agile movements, which surpass even the most advanced robotic systems. Through a combination of in vivo experiments on swimming fish and parallel biorobotics tests, the researchers will measure the mechanical properties of fish bodies and muscles to understand the underlying mechanisms enabling their maneuvering capabilities. The research findings are expected to advance the fundamental understanding of fish locomotion and inform the development of highly maneuverable biorobots for applications such as environmental monitoring and underwater infrastructure inspection. This interdisciplinary project integrates biological insights with robotic engineering to inspire future innovations in biodesign. The award has a performance period from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027.