For many reasons (lack of air and pressure being some of the more obvious ones) it’s always been a struggle for marine biologists to research what exactly is going on under the sea. Scuba divers are limited to the time that they have with their oxygen packs, and oftentimes find it hard to maneuver to the exact locations where research needs to be conducted.

However, with the advent of a stunning new piece of technology, marine biology research may be poised to leap ahead lightyears. MIT scientists have recently tested in Fiji the world’s first robotic fish, named SoFi. The robot swam for 40 minutes nonstop and plunged to depths more than 50 feet below the surface of the water!

One of the best things about SoFi is the high resolution photographs it takes for researchers. Appropriately, the camera employs a “fish eye” lens, which gives the photos a more rounded view with a more complete image of the periphery around the camera. “

Using its undulating tail and a unique ability to control its own buoyancy, SoFi can swim in a straight line, turn or dive up or down,” the scientists explained about SoFi’s testing, which took place on Fiji’s Rainbow Reef.

“The team also used a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller and developed a custom acoustic communications system that enabled them to change SoFi’s speed and have it make specific moves and turns.”

Robert Katzschmann, one of the MIT scientists behind SoFi said in an interview, “To our knowledge this is the first robotic fish that can swim untethered in three dimensions for extended periods of time. We are excited about the possibility of being able to use a system like this to get closer to marine life than humans can get on their own. The robot’s alternating movements produce side-to-side actions that mimic real those of real fish.”

William was enjoying a casual drive down a quiet street, when all of a sudden, a police officer pulled him over. The young man didn’t understand what he had done wrong and asked the cop why he had stopped him if he wasn’t driving over the speed limit. Surprisingly, the cop reassured him that he had done nothing wrong, and after seeing something on William’s dashboard, this ended up leading to an unexpected moment between the two…

On a spring morning, William woke up early and decided that he wanted to take his pickup truck out for a little spin. He had a day off and the world was truly his oyster. He loved the freedom of driving down a quiet New York street, with no traffic getting in the way. Then, as he looked at the reflection in the mirror, he noticed that a car was following him. Then he realized exactly who was driving the car…

As he continued to look at the rearview mirror, he soon noticed the red, white and blue lights flashing from the car behind him. Then, that classic siren started to scream and at that point, William knew for sure that it was a police car that was following him. He was so confused. It wasn’t like he was speeding or doing anything dangerous. Nevertheless, it got to a point when he knew the police officer wanted him to stop…

It made no sense to William. He had never been pulled over in his life. So why was a cop trying to stop him now? Despite being frustrated with his decision, William was a law-abiding citizen who followed the cop’s orders. He pulled over to the side of street, sat patiently, and waited for the officer to come over and speak with him. It felt like an eternity as he waited for the cop to finally show up and ask him questions…

As the cop approached, William opened the window and the two greeted each other. Then, the young man asked the officer why he was pulling him over. He went on to ask if he had been speeding. “Good morning officer, was I speeding?” he asked. Again, it felt like forever before the officer finally gave him an answer. He seemed to be taking his sweet time, and wasn’t in a rush to arrest William. Then, he answered his question…

Much to William’s surprise, the police officer told him that he hadn’t pulled him over for speeding. After all, he wasn’t. “Good morning,” the cop said. “No, not speeding.” In fact, he went on to explain that he didn’t have any particular reason to pull him over. Naturally, William found his behavior very strange and for a few seconds, there was an awkward silence between the two. Then, the officer went on to say something that completely took William by surprise…

The cop went on to say that he simply wanted to pull over William so that he could thank him for his service. “Just wanted to stop you and say thank you for your service,” he said. This begs the question: what kind of service was the officer thanking William for. Secondly, how did he know that William had done any kind of service? The young man had no idea how the cop would know anything about him. Then it hit him…

At that point, William realized that he had a bumper sticker plastered on the back of his pickup truck, which clearly indicated that he has served in the U.S. army. As soon as he noticed this, William gave a warm reaction after the officer thanked him. “Oooh the bumper sticker, nice. You’re welcome sir,” William said. “My pleasure.” However, that was just the start of this strange encounter, and the cop asked him a couple of questions…

Instead of letting William drive along to get on with his day, the police officer wanted to know more about him. In particular, he wanted to know where he had served. “Where did you serve?” he asked. At first, William was skeptical about why the cop was asking him these questions. After all, it wasn’t every day that he got pulled over to be interrogated about his army service. After a couple of seconds, he came up with an answer…

Eventually, William answered the cop’s question, telling him that he was once a heavy wheeled vehicle operator, who had recently returned from his service in Iraq. “I went to Iraq,” he said. “Did a 15 monther out of Fort Benning.” All he wanted to do was resume his everyday life, and now he was getting pulled over because of it. However, there was a very good reason why the cop was curious about William’s service in Iraq…

At this point, the police officer revealed to William that his son also served in Iraq in recent times. “Well alright. My son went to Iraq,” he said. This was the main reason why he decided to pull over the young man. He wanted to learn a bit about another person who had shared a similar experience to his son. Then, he shared another detail about his son’s experience in Iraq that added a new layer of significance to this story…

It was at this stage in the conversation that the cop said something that completely shook William to his core. After his son went away to serve in Iraq, he never came back home. He died during his service. “He didn’t make it home,” the cop said, while beginning to tear up and struggling to say anything else. It was a truly sad moment. All that William could do was stand there and listen to him…

There was no denying that William felt terrible for the police officer. Here he was, enjoying his life after returning from Iraq, while this cop had lost his son on the battlefield. All the veteran could do was express his condolences for the grieving father. “Man, I’m so sorry to hear that,” William said. Then, as the cop picked himself up again and was about to move on with his day, he noticed something on William’s dashboard…

As the cop lifted his head up and planned to let William get on with his day, he noticed something resting on his dashboard. It was an American flag that was deliberately folded. “I see you have a flag in the truck,” he said. Folding the flag is an army custom that honors the fallen soldiers that have fought for America. There was a very good reason why the cop took notice of that folded American flag…

As soon as he saw the folded flag on William’s dashboard, it reminded him of the folded flag he had at home. The army gave it to him in memory of his fallen son. “The one we got for him! Well it’s at the house,” he said. It was at this point that the police officer made a strange request for William. “Can I ask a question?” he asked, to which William wholeheartedly obliged. However, the question completely took him aback…

At that very moment, the cop asked William if he could step outside of his pickup truck and give him a hug. “Do you mind stepping out and receiving a hug?” the officer asked him. At first, William found the request a little surprising. It’s not every day that a police officer pulls someone over to ask them for a hug. However, this was no ordinary situation. After asking him that question, the cop broke into tears and said something very powerful…

Tears began to stream down the police officer’s face as he completely opened up to William. He reminded the cop of his son and this is ultimately why he pulled him over in the first place. “You remind me of my son. I pulled you over,” he said. “Thought you were him. I still don’t believe it most days he’s gone.” All William needed to do now was give the poor man what he wanted – a hug…

At this point, William also started to cry. As he stepped out of the pickup truck, he opened up his arms and “hugged that man.” “With tears in both our eyes I got out and hugged that man,” William said. After so much pain and time spent on the battlefield, William was humbled to share a soft, warm embrace with another person. It might’ve been someone who he had never met before, but it took nothing away from how much it meant to him…

As they hugged each other, both men broke down in tears. A police officer and a war veteran, having a genuine heart-to-heart. In fact, the emotional embrace lasted a good few minutes. “I’m talking about for a minute or two crying,” William said. “Down to our knees crying.” While it might seem like it was the cop who wanted this hug the most, there was no denying that William also needed this, and for a very good reason…

While he didn’t know it at the time, William admitted that he really did need that hug. This is because, like many war veterans, he had just completed a PTSD program. The program helped him rehabilitate and transition back into everyday life after facing such harsh conditions in Iraq. “I just finished a PTSD program,” William told the cop. This seemed to the be final thing that William needed to move on and start the next chapter in his life…

A few weeks after the beautiful encounter, William decided to share the story on his Facebook page, describing exactly how it went down. By the end of the message though, it was clear that William had learned a lot after being pulled over by that cop. “To all the family and friends of soldiers, fighting or done fighting, God bless you. Your peace and your hearts,” he wrote. “It’s so hard without them, I know. This road is a tremendous one. Love to all.”

It didn’t take long before the post traveled far and wide across the internet and through “Love What Matters,” it received over 48,000 reactions. Many people who had lost loved ones who served could relate to the cop’s situation. “I lost my son in Iraq May 3 2004. He was only 26,” one person wrote. “Not a day goes by I don’t miss and love him. I wonder what he would be like now, I miss him so much.” Unlike so many others, William was given a second chance…

Since that life-changing encounter, William’s life has gone in some exciting directions. Most notably, he ended up having a daughter, who he loves dearly. Hearing the cop’s story hit home just how cheap life can be and how we should always value the time we have with our loved ones, including our children. William now has the chance to give his little girl a good upbringing and help her embrace what it means to be a proud American.