DEVELOPMENT OF SMART BUOY

[Anchor Lead]

The fisheries sector is also going smart these days. A smart buoy or floating object that uses seawater battery has been developed to enable real time monitoring of salinity levels and various other data.

[Pkg]

An oyster farm in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnamdo Province. Along with a common buoy, a cylinder-shaped object is also floating on water. This is a so-called “smart buoy” that is undergoing field testing. A smart buoy delivers in real time various data such as water temperature, oxygen and salinity levels. It's expected to enhance productivity in fish farms.

[Soundbite] Kim Won-hyo(CEO, KLabs) : "Knowledge of real-time ocean conditions helps fish farms. Fish can be raised bigger and healthier."

A smart buoy can operate around the clock as it utilizes seawater batteries by combining seawater and electricity powered by solar cell panels.

[Soundbite] Choi Yun-seok(Prof. Ulsan Nat’l Institute of Science & Technology) : "When the battery is recharged, sodium ion from seawater moves toward the cathode, the negative pole. When the battery is used, the ion is released back to the sea, that is the positive pole."

The buoy is also eco-friendly and highly cost-effective. It may well replace the current large-sized and expensive ones used in maritime observation that employ lead-based storage batteries. Attached to fishfinders, the buoy is expected to accumulate big data and facilitate fishery activities. The smart buoy is jointly developed by the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology and a private firm. It's scheduled to be officially released at the end of the year.