Our idea is a smart fish tank module that is an attachment to be implemented onto any fish tank. It has automatic feeders and sensors to reduce user labour and errors. This solution will help keep the fish healthy and, in the future, could potentially be extended for use in commercial fish farms.
POOKIES
UN SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Empowered and Driven:
Delivering Solutions for Global Issues
Life below water aims at helping fish to live in more suitable conditions. Our smart fish module will help achieve this by using a range of sensors to monitor the water as well as automatically feed the fish.
Zero Hunger is aimed at helping world hunger around the world; in the future, our fish module could be potentially upscaled and used in fish farms therefore helping prevent world hunger by providing a better-quality food supply.
DESIGN STORY
Challenges
``The problem we would like to highlight with smart fish modules is that they are either too complex or expensive. This doesn’t make them very accessible or easy to use. The purpose of the smart fish tank module is to create a more efficient way to care for fish in a domestic and industrial setting. According to Bakkafrost (a seafood company), 20-30 million salmon die on fish farms yearly. Mark Borthwick, with a doctorate in fish farming, noted that fish in these farms are often swimming away from each other due to a fear of cannibalism, which is a result of their high-stress environments. Our module can reduce costs for sensors and feeding due to the automated precision that can reduce labour costs and errors. This will result in better working conditions for people and better living conditions for the fish. In domestic environments, there may be people who want to own fish without having the know-how or capacity to care for them. Our module can either be a helpful introduction to caring for fish or it can be a lifelong product to help those who may be less able to care for pets. Caring for fish can be misinterpreted as a simple hobby as they don’t need to be taken outside or given physical affection, but they require more attention than most believe. Smaller tanks need to have their ammonia and nitrates tested more often, which our module can help with. ``
Solution
``The solution for our challenge is to automate many of the tasks of caring for a fish. The sensors and ESP32 board will be inside a case that can be attached to the side of a fish tank. The sensors/components that are included are as follows: - Temperature sensor - Auto feeder/servo motor - LED - Buzzer - Light sensor - Water Level sensor - Turbidity sensor The sensors reduce the work needed to maintain a tank or fish farm: users will no longer need to manually check the state of the tank. By reducing the need for the user to check the sensors, there will be a lowered margin of error. The auto feeder will follow a similar rationale, as users will no longer need to measure out how much food to give the fish or the time when to feed them. Automation will reduce labour costs and errors. ``
Use Case
``Use Case for Smart Fish Tank Module: Fish tank owners can install a module on the side of their tank. After the module has been affixed, it will use inbuilt sensors to read the temperature, light, turbidity, and water level. The tank owner will be alerted to severe changes in readings via an LED screen, buzzer, and a website. The tank owner can check the website at any time. It is being updated constantly. The module will be feeding the fish a set amount of food at scheduled times. System: Smart Fish Tank Module Primary Actor: Owner of fish tank Scenario: The user goes on a website to check the status of their fish tank. The module has read its sensors and updated the website with readings from the tank. The user checks the readings on the website or via an LED screen. ``
TECHNOLOGIES
List of Essential Tools and Technologies
THE PROCESS
PROTOTYPE DESIGN
Here is a 3d design of the ‘Fish Tank module’. On top of the module are vents, so no moisture builds up inside of the module. The sensors will dangle down and make contact with water to take measurements. The ESP32 board and breadboard will be on the opposite side, outside of the tank; this is so we can prevent any water damage.
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Online Marketing
Creative agency
Web development
PLEDGE
Impact on the market
There are little to no other alternatives on the market as of April 2024 that offer all of the features our module offers. This presents itself as a substantial gap in the market which our project can fill. Both domestic and industrial markets can be fulfilled by this adaptable module.
RESULTS
FINAL PRODUCT
“Firstly, we had to come up with and design the product, to do this we gathered as a team and brainstormed ideas until we came to the POOKIE FISH module.
Afterwards we designed our vision for the product with a simple 3D design in SketchUp. We then discussed the functionality of the product and what sensors and functions would make the final product.
We had a review meeting with our lecturers where we presented and discussed our product. We received valuable feedback that helped us improve our ideas for the future of our product.
On the Keyestudio ESP32, we programmed the product in C++. This includes the functionality of all sensors, which are the photo resistor, water level, flow control, temperature, turbidity and servo motor.
Later, we had a formal critical review meeting based around our opportunistic plan, here we discussed our team roles, financials, future operations, customer needs, market impact, and solidify the overall idea of our product. “
