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Manta-inspired Robotic Platform and Filter Design for Mitigating Near-Shore Harmful Algal Blooms

Marshall, Lauren Elizabeth
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1556733016555221

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science, University of Toledo, Mechanical Engineering.
Anthropologic impacts on fresh water have created harmful algal blooms (HABs) that are challenging to address due to the scale of blooms and shallow conditions along the shore [1]. Mimicking a manta ray’s motion and structure offers a platform for an environmental service robot that can thrive under such constraints. The structure of the manta enables slow gliding and high maneuverability in shallow conditions. The fin placement and dynamics allow periods of gliding through the water, reducing actuation frequency and disruption to the surrounding environment. This paper analyzes various robot platforms including conventional and bioinspired. A survey led to ray-inspired robots and their features as the optimal design for an environmental service robot. This platform lends itself to a higher payload, allowing it to be outfitted with systems for environmental remediation, such as capturing of pollutants. By integrating a bioinspired algal filter with a manta-inspired robotic platform, near-shore blooms could be reduced without introducing a new threat to the struggling ecosystem. Conventional filters clog quickly and must be cleaned or replaced. A service robot must be able to function for an extended period without human intervention. Therefore, collection of the harmful algae needs to be a passive system with a low probability of clogging. Filter feeding fish employ a mechanism that utilizes structures within the fishs’ mouth called gill rakers to capture or redirect algae particles for consumption. A simplified design inspired by gill rakers, implemented as a targeted filter, housed in an aquatic robotic platform could remove algae, acting as an artificial predator. Two different filtering mechanisms and how they interacted with algal scale particles were investigated. While each design started as biomimetic, aiming to mimic the filtering mechanism, both have been redesigned for the intended application producing a bioinspired algal filter.
Brian Trease, PhD (Committee Chair)
Cyndee Gruden , PhD (Committee Member)
Sorin Cioc, PhD (Committee Member)
122 p.
Engineering
bioinspired; manta-ray; harmful algae bloom; soft robotics; bioinspired filter

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Marshall, L. E. (2019). Manta-inspired Robotic Platform and Filter Design for Mitigating Near-Shore Harmful Algal Blooms [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1556733016555221

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Marshall, Lauren. Manta-inspired Robotic Platform and Filter Design for Mitigating Near-Shore Harmful Algal Blooms. 2019. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1556733016555221.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Marshall, Lauren. "Manta-inspired Robotic Platform and Filter Design for Mitigating Near-Shore Harmful Algal Blooms." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1556733016555221

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1556733016555221
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© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Manta-inspired Robotic Platform and Filter Design for Mitigating Near-Shore Harmful Algal Blooms by Lauren Elizabeth Marshall is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.