CATAIN Imager

Inventors: Kirsten Meyer-Kaiser, Yogesh Girdhar
IP Status: Provisional Application

Overview: The study of biofouling settlement is limited to accessible locations where monitoring can be done daily; because of this, there is a lack of knowledge in understanding how settlements form and interact with their surroundings on time scales and in environments only found in remote locations. Understanding settlement patterns can help researchers measure predation rates, identify overgrowth competition, measure coastal settlements and environments, evaluate ecological effects of pollution, and expand scientific research in once inaccessible locations. Unfortunately, it is impossible to use the current monitoring methods in remote areas and measure hourly settlement rates.

Technology: CATAIN Imager is specially designed to study biofouling communities to monitor them better. The system has an acrylic end-cap on housing that protects the camera and serves as a fouling panel. This way, organisms are photographed through the end-cap from the underside and not settling directly on the camera. CATAIN can be programmed at self-timed intervals, allowing for optimal settlement record intervals to conserve energy and prolong system lifespan.