STTR Phase I: Smart Imaging for Intelligent and Efficient Aquaculture

Award ID: 2605022

The broader impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project technology benefits scientists by enabling the observation and monitoring of fragile submerged domains with high quality visual data. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims to develop an intelligent, image-based AI solution. Existing imaging solutions fail to deliver high-resolution, low-latency, and clear imagery. This project will develop an intelligent imaging platform capable of streaming high-quality, real-time data from non-traditional locations and providing on-chip data analytics. In particular, this project has three research thrusts: 1) design and build a computational imaging system for monitoring; 2) develop image and video processing algorithms to enhance and analyze imagery data in order to extract critical information for downstream applications; and 3) develop use-inspired applications to facilitate and ultimately automate the operation of aquaculture facilities, including growth rates estimation and health condition analysis. This project will deliver an integrated system with a software suite specifically optimized for need-customized imaging hardware, capable of providing critical information for essential operations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Peter Atherton