Initial Development of the Hybrid Aerial Underwater Robotic System (HAUCS): Internet of Things (IoT) for Aquaculture Farms

Aquaculture, especially fish farming, plays a vital role in ensuring food security in the United States and worldwide. However, for fish farming to be sustainable and economically viable, drastic improvements to the current labor-intensive and resource-inefficient operations are required. The hybrid aerial/underwater robotic system (HAUCS) aims to bring fundamental innovations to how pond-based farms operate. HAUCS is an end-to-end framework that consists of three principal subsystems: 1) a team of collaborative aero-amphibious robotic sensing platforms integrated with water quality sensors; 2) a land-based home station that can provide automated charging and sensor cleaning; and 3) a backend processing center that includes a machine-learning-based water quality prediction model and farm control center. HAUCS will be capable of collaborative monitoring and decision-making on farms of varying scales. The HAUCS platform, payload, and prediction model are discussed. The initial deployment of the HAUCS framework at a land-based aquaculture fish farm is presented.

Automated summary

Aquaculture, especially fish farming, is crucial for ensuring food security in the US and globally, but significant improvements are needed to make fish farming sustainable and economically viable. The hybrid aerial/underwater robotic system (HAUCS) aims to bring fundamental innovations to pond-based farms, enabling collaborative monitoring and decision-making on farms of varying scales.