Robotic Aquculture Watercraft
Oyster Farming |
It's probably something most people have never really considered. As demand for seafood grows and the natural population of oysters becomes over-fished, it is necessary to shift production to a more sustainable means, namely farming of oysters. The gear currently used by farmers to contain these oysters consists of floating bags which are subject to biological fouling that limits water flow and oyster growth.
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Consequently, it is necessary to flip these oyster bags consistently to avoid bio-fouling by allowing both sides to dry periodically. Currently, this task is handled by men in kayaks, flipping the gear by hand. This operation is cumbersome and ergonomically taxing, and the goal of this project is to automate the bag flipping with a robotic watercraft.