Eco Factor: Marine fouling removing robot makes ships fuel efficient and fast.
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has recently conducted tests with a unique ship hull grooming robot that removes marine fouling deposits from the hulls of ships, thereby eliminating excess drag and maintenance costs. Dubbed Robotic Hull Bio-inspired Underwater Grooming (HULL BUG) tool, the system is similar to an autonomous vacuum cleaner or lawn mower and uses a biofilm detector that can differentiate between clean and unclean surfaces.
Research estimates that marine fouling on the hull of a Navy ship translates into about $500 million annually to be spend on extra maintenance and fuel costs, which is caused due to excess drag the presence of marine organisms cause. In addition to the requirement of about 40% more fuel these microorganisms also reduce the speed of a ship by as much as 10%.
The best way to keep ships free from marine fouling is to stop barnacles from colonizing the hull in the first place. The HULL BUG detects the presence of microorganisms and cleans the hull before a colony is built. The developers claim that any ship, which is bigger than 45 feet can benefit from the technology.
Via: Physorg
