Electric rays are benthic animals, meaning that they spend most of their time
time, floating on the ocean floor.If we combine simple pinger technology and digital cameras with their natural behavior, we can use the electrical beams emitted by stingrays to map the ocean floor, as well as collect data on wildlife, biota and ocean resources. Yo Tanaka, scientist at RIKEN BDR University in Japan
In addition, this method can be much more economical as the electric rays can use their own. energy to feed pingers.
Pinger is a device that emitsultrasound. When the sound of the pinger is picked up by several receivers, they change position: due to this, you can understand where the pinger is now. By placing cameras on beams and then analyzing their recordings along with video and the location of the pinger, accurate maps of the ocean floor can be created.
In his study testing thisideas, the team conducted two experiments that showed that the developed technology was viable. After the first positive result, the team decided to test their system at sea: in an area off the coast of Okinawa, Japan.
Researchers attached pingers with electricbeams and lowered them into the ocean along with four ultrasonic receivers. The depth of the ocean was about 20 m, and the stingrays swam at a distance of about 40 m from the boat. The researchers recorded the coordinates obtained from the pinger. They then compared the data with an existing map of the seafloor and confirmed that the position of the rays gave an error of approximately 10 cm from the existing map.
Now scientists want to launch a long-term monitoring system.
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