China's BG-5 robot fish draws attention as underwater surveillance platform

A golden fish making laps in a small tank at Beijing's Shougang Park became one of the most widely shared clips from this month's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). The BG-5, a robotic golden arowana made by Boyagongdao Marine Technology Group, functions as an autonomous underwater surveillance drone.

TechRadar reports that the product page lists dimensions of 640 by 204 by 90 mm and a towing capacity of 3 kg. The fish can travel to a maximum depth of 5 meters and has a top speed of 0.6 meters per second, or approximately 2.16 km/h. Boyagongdao has not published endurance, payload, camera, or battery-life figures, so the platform's capabilities remain unclear.

The BG-5 is not new: product-page images were uploaded in August 2023, the company used it in a World Oceans Day post in June 2023, and a Chinese equipment-marketplace listing described it in July 2024. Boyagongdao's older ROBOLAB-GL dates to 2021. The company has described itself as a military-civil fusion enterprise, while a representative, Zhang Yu, said in a 2025 report that its bionic technology can be used in military and national-defense fields. The fish could also support anti-poaching efforts involving the endangered Asian arowana, although the source says the limited disclosures raise questions about its primary intended customer.