[{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_-kTcRwkqPhQLsqEvdSSyU2XZ3CV5VEleXoE3_xZi2cg.css?delta=0\u0026language=it\u0026theme=hm_theme\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNErSa0oSSxKTdQtSi3OrEoFAJQ3Cqw"}]},{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/it\/article\/modal\/6394\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea resize-vertical ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFish and ships: artificial lily pads and mussels monitor Europe\u2019s waters\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo improve the monitoring of these waters, researchers are recreating the ecology and unique senses of marine life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe subCULTron project is creating a network of autonomous robots which occupy the roles of a lily pad, a fish, and a mussel respectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project uses \u2018swarm\u2019 technology, where a group of robots communicate with each other to build up a comprehensive picture of the environment without relying on a single source of information.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you lose 20 % of your swarm robots, it means 80 % of your swarm is still collecting data and is still doing some work,\u2019 said project leader Dr Thomas Schmickl of the University of Graz, Austria. \u2018If you lose your one field robot, then game over.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the surface, autonomous lily pad robots, known as aPads, use their large area to host solar power cells on their surface. \u2018This is like an energy recharging unit we have,\u2019 said Dr Schmickl.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018To our knowledge a (fully autonomous) swarm robotic application has never been released to the wild.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Thomas Schmickl, University of Graz, Austria\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as providing energy, the aPads also receive information from the outside world, such as shipping routes. This allows the other robots to be fully aware of their environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeneath the surface, aFish robots are designed to swim like regular fish to monitor water quality and marine life. \u2018They are information carriers and they are also seeking for new information, and when they meet each other they can exchange information,\u2019 said Dr Schmickl.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe aFish also have electrodes on their surface which project an electric field around themselves. Any particle entering this field will distort it, which is \u2018sensed\u2019 by the robot to provide information about the surrounding area.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELastly, aMussels on the ocean floor serve as the long-term memory of the ecosystem, storing data as well as sampling some sediment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They can be woken up by the aFish as soon as they get close by and then the aFish can store information in this mussel, can retrieve information from this mussel and use this mussel as a sort of communication platform,\u2019 said Dr Schmickl.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Researchers made a robotic mussel to collect information on the ocean\u2019s floor. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u0022 height=\u0022750\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/03_amussel_scaled..JPG\u0022 title=\u0022Researchers made a robotic mussel to collect information on the ocean\u2019s floor. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u0022 width=\u00221000\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EResearchers made a robotic mussel to collect information on the ocean\u2019s floor. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne emphasis of the project was to ensure that the system survives on its own for as long as possible. Dr Schmickl hopes the robots will achieve a high level of interaction to keep the system dynamic and self-sustaining.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The aMussel will surface so it will go up to the surface, call for an aPad, and the aPad will go there and charge this aMussel and then maybe also displace the aMussel to a more favoured place,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The robotic mussel floats up and docks in the artifical lily pad to charge. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u0022 height=\u0022675\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/04_pickup_of_amussel_by_apad.png\u0022 title=\u0022The robotic mussel floats up and docks in the artifical lily pad to charge. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u0022 width=\u00221200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EThe robotic mussel floats up and docks in the artifical lily pad to charge. Image courtesy of subCULTron\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFollowing on from successful lab trials in a previous project, the team is conducting field trials in Venice, Italy, to see if the robots can survive in a natural environment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is a really out-of-the-lab condition and to our knowledge a (fully autonomous) swarm robotic application has never been released to the wild,\u2019 said Dr Schmickl.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELateral line\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother project, LAkHsMI, uses another unique type of bio-inspired technology to monitor the ocean. Marine vertebrates have what is called a lateral line - sense organs that detect movements and vibrations in the surrounding water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Professor Maarja Kruusmaa of the Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, many researchers have tried to replicate this bio-inspired technology before, though nobody has attempted it at the scale her team is developing.\u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-center bg-bluelightest p-12 my-12 -mx-16\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Ch3 class=\u0022font-sans font-bold text-blue uppercase text-lg mb-8\u0022\u003EThe Issue\u003C\/h3\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022inline-block w-1\/6 h-1 bg-blue mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EMaritime surveillance is an integral part of the EU\u2019s Blue Growth \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/maritimeaffairs\/policy\/blue_growth\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Estrategy\u003C\/a\u003E as it helps to give policymakers the knowledge they need to support the so-called blue economy around Europe\u2019s coastal areas.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe blue economy represents roughly 5.4 million jobs and generates a gross added value of almost EUR 500 billion a year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea is to develop sectors that have potential for sustainable jobs and growth such as \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/fisheries\/cfp\/aquaculture\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eaquaculture\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/maritimeaffairs\/policy\/coastal_tourism\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ecoastal tourism\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/maritimeaffairs\/policy\/biotechnology\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emarine biotechnology\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/maritimeaffairs\/policy\/ocean_energy\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eocean energy\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/maritimeaffairs\/policy\/seabed_mining\/index_en.htm\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Eseabed mining\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We want to build a gigantic artificial lateral line, something that could sense flow on an area, for example, a 10-kilometre-long line or at least a 100-metre-long line,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe sensor uses fibre optic technology throughout the cable in order to detect changes in velocities deep underwater. When the cable is bent due to underwater forces, the light running throughout the cable changes intensity. Researchers measure this intensity change to detect what is going on under the water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The advantage of this technology is that it doesn\u2019t need to have a power source at the spot of sensing, because it just transmits light from the shore and you receive the light from the shore,\u2019 explained Prof. Kruusmaa.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUsing these cables to measure the lower levels of the ocean will also provide new information to oceanographers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If you could put a cable across the strait you could understand how the bottom layers of water are flowing,\u2019 she said. \u2018Now if you match it with a satellite imagery you get a more complex understanding of the whole circulation in the ocean.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor now, the LAkHsMI\u0026nbsp;team are continuing to develop their prototype at the lab scale, with the later aim of testing the sensor at sites in both Estonia and Orkney, UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne potential application, says Prof. Kruusmaa, is checking how much of the ocean\u2019s energy can be captured by underwater turbines. \u2018One thing with renewables, what you really want to know, is how much energy of the ocean does it use and how much (the turbine) disturbs (the) environment\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-tc-fs5fcgkz8az5qdusoo4vayuwa-rb8ktegn96sasu\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-tC-FS5fcGkz8Az5qDUSoO4VAyUwa_rB8KTegn96SaSU\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]