SBIR Phase II: Novel, Noninvasive Comprehensive Aquatic TOol (CATO) for Sediment Management in Waterways

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力代表了维护水道以实现最佳使用和水质的方法的重大范式转变。与只定期检测水质和只大量清除沉积物的现状不同，正在开发的系统提供定期的水质监测和定期的沉积物清除，对水生生境的影响较小。将水道维护的模式转变为更常规的过程将允许减少水道中的污染物水平，因为污染物被迅速去除，而不是继续积累毒素，这反过来又会增加码头行业内的财产价值，利用率和收入。此外，嵌入式传感器智能和持续的水道监测将使疏浚监管机构提高对水道中海洋生物健康状况的了解，并使他们能够更密切地监测环境违规行为。随着广泛采用，这项创新可能会影响水机器人技术领域，并可能产生深远的利益，通过保持入口运河的水库，包括我们社会的基础设施清洁和以最高效率运行，有助于水和能源安全。这项小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目旨在通过机器人平台继续开发智能吸嘴，在减少对海洋物种的伤害的同时，该研究旨在通过解决专门为满足水道所有者的要求而设计的水道技术的需求，同时对海洋生物的需求敏感，为海洋生物行为和水污染物相互作用的知识基础做出贡献。项目活动包括持续的技术开发和完善环境生态位建模和吸头系统，其概念验证是在第一阶段活动中开发的，完善和加固支持子系统以准备试点测试，进行封闭环境测试，在当地运营水道中进行试点测试，确定可行的制造路线图，并在旧金山弗朗西斯科湾的一条运行水道中进行试点测试，同时密切记录其性能和疏浚材料，以确定海洋物种的影响，并向监管机构报告。Akabotics希望证明其创新方法对海洋生物只有最小的影响，同时为监管机构提供更多的监督，并为批准在目前规定的环境工作窗口之外工作奠定基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project represents a major paradigm shift in the methodology by which waterways can be maintained for optimum usage and water quality. Instead of the status quo in which water quality is only periodically tested and sediment buildups are only removed in massive quantities that can shock sensitive aquatic ecosystems, the system under development offers regular water quality monitoring and regular sediment removal at volumes less impacting to aquatic habitat. Shifting the paradigm of waterway maintenance into a more regular process will allow for reduced pollutant levels in waterways as pollutants are promptly removed instead of continuing to accumulate toxins which, in turn, will increase property values, utilization, and income within the marina industry. Additionally, embedded sensor intelligence and continuous waterway monitoring will grant the dredging regulatory agencies increased visibility and understanding of the health of the marine life in the waterway and allow them to more closely monitor environmental violations. With widespread adoption, the innovation could impact the technology area of water robotics and potentially have far reaching benefits that assist with water and energy security by keeping the inlet canal's reservoirs that comprise our society's infrastructure clean and running at peak efficiency.This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project aims to continue development of an intelligent suction tip via a robotic platform for use in year-round sediment removal in waterways while minimizing harm to marine species. The research seeks to contribute to the knowledge base of marine life behavior and water-pollutant interactions through addressing the need for waterway technologies designed specifically to satisfy the requirements of waterway owners while being sensitive to marine life needs. The project activities include continued technical development and refinement of the environmental niche modeling and suction tip systems whose proof of concept was developed during Phase I activities, refinement and ruggedization of supporting subsystems in preparation for pilot testing, conducting closed environment testing, conducting pilot testing in a local operational waterway, determining a feasible manufacturing roadmap, and conducting pilot testing in an operational waterway in San Francisco Bay while closely documenting its performance and dredged material to determine marine species impact for report to the regulatory agencies. Akabotics expects to prove that its innovative approach has only a minimal impact to marine organisms while providing regulatory agencies with increased oversight and will lay the groundwork for approval to work outside of currently prescribed environmental work windows.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.