Shark-Detecting Buoy

Clever Buoy, a wirelessly-connected shark-detecting buoy, is planning to keep the oceans safer.

The Clever Buoy is a self-contained system. Inside is a sonar system that generates images of the ocean using sound and echo. Armed with shark-specific information such as how the shark swims, its size and unique shape, the sonar system is able to identify the predators.

Once a shark is seen, Clever Buoy sends an alert through Australia’s Optus network and uses Google + as the platform to spread the warning in the immediate area.

The project was developed by Shark Attack Mitigation Systems, a company that also develops shark-deterrent print patterns for wetsuits and which is funded by Australia’s Optus Network, a mobile telecommunications company.

The Clever Buoy’s heart is at its software. The device uses algorithms to verify objects much like face recognition but with swimming technique and shape instead. Dolphins and other sea mammals have different ways of swimming and won’t be flagged by the buoy.

In its advanced R&D and prototype phase, the Clever Buoy is programmed to detect sharks two meters in length or more. There will be an on-board computer that will process the information and a custom-built battery inside. The makers of Clever Buoy are intent on using solar power or even wave power to allow the device to make its own electricity, keeping it maintenance free.

Clever Buoy is an upgrade in methods used against attacks. Australia often uses nets that trap both sharks and other animals such as dolphins and whales to keep their beaches safe. Unfortunately, government-backed shark hunting is also a common practice.

If implemented, Clever Buoy will provide peace of mind and safer seas without harm to marine life.

Source: psfk.comAdded: 25 March 2015