Today's Edition
AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
Researchers from Khalifa University's Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems (KU-CARS), in collaboration with the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), recently developed robotic fish for the purpose of underwater monitoring and inspection of offshore infrastructure.
Titled "Heterogeneous Swarm of Underwater Robotic Fish", the project encompassed 30 autonomous remote-controlled underwater robots that are designed to navigate together, using advanced communication, according to the Khalifa University website.
These robots can also be used for environmental surveys, subsea wrecks and mine searching.
Khalifa University and TII are collaborating with institutes such as the Sant'Anna Biorobotics Institute and the Fujairah Research Centre in technology research with a shared focus on marine conservation and sustainability.
As the blue economy continues to grow, these technologies will contribute to developing sustainable maritime practices that ensure the long-term health of oceans, according to researchers.
Speaking to Aletihad, Saverio Iacoponi, a postdoctoral researcher in computer science at Khalifa University, said: "Robotic fish and small, agile autonomous vehicles are uniquely suited for performing visual surveys of the seabed. This capability is highly valuable across various fields, including marine monitoring, coral health studies, and commercial applications such as underwater searches, submerged infrastructure inspections, and environmental monitoring."
He said that these platforms enable large-scale visual surveys of the seabed, which are essential for research related to monitoring seabed health and changes over time. Currently, most of these analyses must be performed by divers, which involves significant costs, risks and operational limitations.
"Preliminary tests have been conducted in the waters of Abu Dhabi and Fujairah. Real-world environments present unique challenges, but our robots are designed to address these difficulties, and we are eager to dive deeper and further explore their capabilities in increasingly complex and realistic scenarios," Iacoponi added.
