  Water monitoring is crucial for environmental monitoring, transportation,
energy and telecommunication. One of the main problems in aquatic environmental
monitoring is biofouling. The simplest method among the current antifouling
strategies is the use of wiper technologies like brushes and wipers which apply
mechanical pressure. In designing built-in strategies however, manufacturers
usually build the sensor around the biofouling system. The current
state-of-the-art is a fully integrated central wiper in the sensor that enables
cleaning of all probes mounted on the sonde. Improvements in antifouling
strategies lag rapid advancements in sensor technologies such as in
miniaturization, specialization, and costs. Hence, improving built-in designs
by decreasing size and complexity will decrease maintenance and overall costs.
  This design is targeted for the EU project Robocoenosis since bio-hybrid
systems in this project incorporate living organisms. This technology targets
selective proliferation of the organisms which only prevents biofilms on
components where they are unwanted. Beyond this, the use of autonomous
activation based on image processing may likely be advantageous for minimizing
the need for human inspection and maintenance. In addition to Robocoenosis, we
also aim at incorporating this design in another project entitled Heterogeneous
Swarm of Underwater Autonomous Vehicles where a swarm of heterogeneous
underwater robotic fish is being developed.
