Integrated Monitoring of Macroalgae Farms Using Acoustics and UUV Sensing

I’m currently part of a project where we are developing an autonomous underwater observation system for monitoring large-scale seaweed farms. This is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

We will be modifying an unmanned underwater vehicle with acoustic, optical, and environmental sensors to monitor seaweed growth and health, equipment status, and water column properties, such as nutrient content.

In order to survey the shallow areas, we will be using a REMUS 100, which is one of the smaller REMUS vehicles. A long-term docking station will be at the base of the underwater system, which will allow the REMUS vehicle to recharge and transmit data. The vehicle should be able to recharge and operate for extended periods of time without human intervention.