Co-Navigational Aquaculture Vehicle System Design and Social and Cultural Obstacles to Sustainable Food Systems

Coastal aquaculture is known to damage coastal ecosystems. Offshore aquaculture facilities capable of handling conditions of the open ocean would allow these operations to move far away from sensitive ecosystems. Maintenance is costly for these facilities. Typically, they require trained divers or machinery piloted by operators. The remote location of these facilities and the hazardous conditions make them a candidate for autonomous robotics. Our team produced a surface vehicle and modified a commercial ROV to produce a two-vehicle system capable of navigating bodies of water and cleaning submerged nets. Our work this year served as the first installment of a multi-year endeavor to develop a co-robotic aquatic system. Our system includes many sub-systems that will be the foundation of future years work in autonomy, and robotic navigation.