Background

Plankton play a crucial role in maintaining the health and balance of the ocean. They are tiny microscopic organisms that drift along the ocean and provide the base for the entire marine food web. In addition, they are known to be one of the world's most important oxygen producers. Through photosynthesis, phytoplankton use sunlight, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and water to create energy and release oxygen back into the atmosphere, thus regulating the carbon cycle. Studying and closely monitoring them through an imaging system in situ will help us better understand the health of ocean ecosystems. To study them, researchers have developed submersible underwater imaging systems, which are effective, but costly. Therefore, they are not easily accessible to the population on a large scale for educational purposes. To promote the understanding of life under the ocean, we need to create a low-cost submersible vehicle with an effective imaging system. 

Features and Technical Details

• Low-cost, open-source, and hand-deployable robot that can be deployed in the ocean to observe microscopic plankton

• Effective imaging system with Raspberry Pi camera and lens

• Flow channel through the vehicle that allows water samples to pass through the field of view (FOV) of the camera

• Control of buoyancy to provide optimal flow speed in the flow channel

• Waterproof housing to prevent burning internal circuits