Floating Robots to Track Great White Sharks

A self propelled Wave glider robot has been deployed at the Pacific coast near San Francisco to track white sharks. The information transmissions of the robot can be accessed even by the non marine biologists like the users of iphone and ipad with shark net app.

This unmanned self propelled robot glider is used by the researchers at Stanford University to monitor the movements of sea life, electronically tagged  by scientists with tiny battery-powered acoustic transmitters that bleep once every two minutes. The glider is designed to pick up signals up to 1000 ft and these signals will be analyzed by the researchers.

Huffington Post quoted Stanford marine biologist Barbara Block, "Our goal is to use revolutionary technology that increases our capacity to observe our oceans and census populations, improve fisheries management models, and monitor animal responses to climate change."

The moment a tagged shark passes within the range of the floating data receiver, the users will receive a notification. The researchers make sure to produce a 3D image along with useful facts about each shark.

ABC News quoted Block saying, "This is the lunch stop on the Pacific Coast for these large, charismatic animals. We are trying to wire the hotspots and build knowledge of the numbers that are arriving, and build mathematical models as climate changes and human exploitation happens."

Stanford marine biologist Randy Kochevar was quoted in Huffington Post saying, "People realize this is important, but it's hard for them to connect on a visceral, personal level to the incredible biodiversity in their own backyard. Through this app, we're able to put the Blue Serengeti right in their hands. They can follow individual sharks and learn about their lives and feeding habits."

The two meter surfboard type glider-robot's lifespan will eventually weigh down as the number of shark scratches on it increase. It has solar panels above and a wave-power system below. The glider and the listening buoys in fixed positions, could also give clues to other tagged creatures ranging from mako sharks to tuna and salmon.