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Eduardo Silva stated robots developed for aquaculture will perform tasks humans can not do. (Photo: INESC Tec/www.inescporto.pt)
Offshore aquaculture can benefit from robots’ aid
PORTUGAL
Friday, May 11, 2012, 03:20 (GMT + 9)
An expert in technology ensures that robots developed in Portugal may be useful for offshore aquaculture, the control of food and fish health, and for the evaluation of these resources.
According to Eduardo Silva, one of the coordinators of the Robotics and Intelligent Systems group at the Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto (INESC Tec), "the increased use of technology is important to improve the quality of fish, raise profitability and reduce the environmental impact."
"A production system that does not include humans is necessary, particularly if it allows for profitable production. Monitoring and control have to be quite big and the way a human performs these tasks is neither precise nor accurate," the specialist stressed.
Silva argues that computer systems with sensors and robots have the precision required for this type of production "so that the negative impact on nature is as little as possible, balanced and sustainable" in its different aspects.
Robots are also useful for rescues at sea and for environmental monitoring because "they can carry out remote operations that humans can not do," said the researcher, as it was reported by TVI24.
"The sensors that INESC Tec developed for the environment to detect chemical compounds, for example, can be used in aquaculture" by both research institutions and by the producers themselves, added Silva.
Some of the tasks in which they can participate are:
- The repair of nets;
- The assessment of the health and the provision of food for a fish school;
- The evaluation of pollution;
- The measurement of the impact of population growth;
- The anticipation of problems.
Researchers have experiences that confirm the ability of robots in aquaculture and now they need to be members of the sector to specify what kind of help may be more useful.
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
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