UAVs and the Future of Aquaculture
Overview:
Utilizing advancements in technology, the aquaculture industry has opened itself to the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to overcome some of its biggest challenges. Challenges such as illegal fishing, monitoring of harvested stocks, and environmental factors can be alleviated through the usage of drones. The shift towards UAV technology continues to grow, with predictions suggesting that the drone services market could reach $63.6 billion by 2025, a significant portion of which could potentially be used by the aquaculture industry.
The Use of UAVs in Aquaculture:
Drones have found themselves to be an attractive option for the aquaculture industry owing to their reliability, ease of use, and the ability to provide real-time data. In recent years, drones have increased their integrative capacity into the industry with approximately 36% of aquafarms reporting UAV usage in 2020. The use of UAVs reduces costs and offers a more efficient solution for monitoring fish populations, health, ponds or cages, and predictive maintenance.
UAVs and Illegal Fishing:
Reports suggest that approximately USD 23.5 billion is lost annually due to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing or IUU. Employing UAVs to monitor fishing activities allows for better enforcement of regulations, dramatically decreasing illegal fishing practices. By using UAVs, authorities are provided with real-time data and round the clock surveillance of fishing activities.
UAVs in monitoring and managing harvested stocks:
The accuracy of UAVs in detecting, counting, and tracking fish is approximately 95% which significantly outperforms traditional methods. Their fast, precise, and reliable data collection makes UAVs an invaluable tool in monitoring and managing harvested stocks. They can carry out daily, monthly, or yearly fish counts without putting humans at risk of injury, illness, or bad weather conditions.
UAVs in Assessing Environmental Factors:
UAVs can also contribute to environmental protection by monitoring water temperatures, oxygen levels, and pollution. In a case study, UAVs were used to map thermal water pollution due to aquaculture ponds in Indonesia. The results showed a 94% increase in the efficiency of the monitoring process as compared to the traditional methods.
Key Takeaways
- UAV technology can drastically increase efficiency, accuracy, and safety in the aquaculture industry
- Despite a significant amount lost to IUU annually, UAV monitoring can help to enforce regulations and curb these losses
- Drones outperform traditional methods in the monitoring and managing of harvested stocks, notably in their ability to detect, count, and track fish with 95% accuracy
- Not only are UAVs practical in monitoring aquaculture activities, but they also play a vital role in assessing environmental impacts with a significant increase in the process's efficiency
At 3Laws Robotics, our innovative software provides solutions that perfectly harmonize with the application of UAVs in the aquaculture industry. We aim to enhance the safety and reliability of robotics systems, primarily addressing certification - a common issue for many robotics companies. Our software, the 3Laws Supervisor, offers features that not only prove system robustness but also provide evidence to ease the process of certification.
Our software is built using Control Barrier Functions (CBFs), developed in collaboration with Caltech, which provides mathematical provenance for safety. It has been successful across various industries, such as warehouse automation, where it helped achieve a 40% efficiency gain and human-robot interaction, where it enabled safe and non-disruptive operation of robots near humans.
Additionally, we strive to boost operational efficiency by reducing unnecessary interruptions caused by e-stops or collisions using real-time guardrails for our autonomy stacks. This approach permits robots to operate closer to peak efficacy while ensuring optimal safety. 3Laws' software is adaptable and widely compatible, making it an ideal solution for the integration of drones into the aquaculture industry.
We position 3Laws as a next-generation safety solution with a proactive approach that goes beyond traditional e-stop methods. This predictive, dynamic, and safe technology can truly unlock the fullest potential of robotics in aquaculture.