Robotic fish to detect water pollutants

United Kingdom, March 18: Researchers at Essex University have developed a robotic fish in a bid to monitor, analyze and detect water pollution in a port.

The technology, besides scrutinizing pollution from ships and detecting harmful contaminants and pollutants from underwater pipelines, will lead to important advances in robotics, chemical analysis, underwater communications and robot intelligence.

The fish are being built by Professor Huosheng Hu and his team from the university’s School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering. They hope to release them into the water by the end of next year.

Prof Hu said: "I am incredibly excited about this project. We are designing these fish very carefully to ensure that they will be able to detect changes in environmental conditions in the port and pick up on early signs of pollution spreading, for example by locating a small leak in a vessel.

"The hope is that this will prevent potentially hazardous discharges at sea, as the leak would undoubtedly get worse over time if not located."

Rory Doyle, a senior research scientist, reflected that the robotic fish would aid them in analyzing not only chemicals that swim on the surface of the water like oil, but even those that get dissolved in the water.

The inanimate fish, shaped like Carp will be set off on the coast of Gijon in northern Spain. The function of the robots will be to mimic the surging movements of real fish. They shall have tiny chemical sensors to locate dangerous pollutants in the water. The prime purpose is to help in the production of a 3D map of the port, to get a clear picture of the source and concentration of pollutants from leaks in oil tankers or under ground water pipelines.

The fish, the size of a seal, are estimated to cost around £20,000 with an ability to swim around one meter per second. Their design shall enable them to adapt to changes in the port environment, with advanced techniques to control and co-ordinate their movement.

The fish shall be equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities, helping them to maneuver in the water without any human interaction. They will also return automatically to their hub for a recharge, when and if the battery runs low.

The researchers are optimistic, anticipating a success, which could prove extremely beneficial in rivers, lakes and seas across the world.

Giving some insight into the project at hand, Rory Doyle said, “While using shoals of robotic fish for pollution detection in harbors might appear like something straight out of science fiction, there are very practical reasons for choosing this form.

“In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years’ worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient. This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end.”

The research is part of the ‘SHOAL’ project involving six partners from four European countries, and is sponsored by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program Theme 3-ICT.