Project description
Innovative robotics systems that mimic nature support marine ecosystems preservation
About 70 % of Earth’s surface is covered by water. Our blue planet is home to tremendously diverse marine ecosystems, many species of which have not yet been discovered or are endangered. Preserving these species and their biospheres is a pressing need. Robotics, and particularly autonomous robots that mimic biological processes and respond and adapt intelligently to changing conditions, are critical to research and subsequent preservation campaigns. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ECOBOTICS.SEA project is funding eight coordinated early-stage research projects focused on addressing the needs for underwater robotics, biomimetics concepts and technology targeting marine biological systems and their preservation.
Objective
ECOBOTICS.SEA is a future-oriented 4-year research project with a research-driven human-resources training network in its
center.
ECOBOTICS.SEA focuses on the research of underwater robotics and biomimetics concepts and technology, targeting problems and
needs in the real world that are related to the study of biospheres, species and ecosystems and their preservation.
8 Early-Stage Research Projects (ESRP) compose the research plan. The research to be carried out in these 8 ESRP
is organized into 5 scientific work packages. The core of the research activities is constituted by 88 months of
secondments within the partner network which are essential for ensuring the required knowledge and know-how transfer
between the partners.
The partner network is composed by 3 universities and R&D institutes and 3 companies located in European member states,
plus 1 R&D in Third Countries. The consortium is highly interdisciplinary, aggregating excellence from various domains, including robotics,biomimetics for water/underwater systems, automation, biology, ecosystem preservation, entrepreneurship and anthropology applied to species preservation.
Workshops, summer schools and international conferences serve as complementary measures, not only for further
stimulating the exchange of knowledge and providing training, namely to the ESRs, but also for achieving the 4 scientific
objectives as specified in the proposal. ECOBOTICS.SEA also incorporates a detailed and well defined career and risk management and training towards application-oriented R&D.
Finally, the project is planned to establish an open community that will grow over time and enlarge its impact during and beyond the period of this project, resulting in a lasting, truly international R&D and business network beyond the project’s
lifetime.
Programme(s)
Coordinator
3030-290 Coimbra
Portugal