Date of Award
6-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Publisher
Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2024
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Michael Neumann
Second Advisor
Christopher Kitts
Abstract
The Advanced Lakebed Guardian and Algae Eradicator (ALGAE) is a benthic rover designed to mitigate algae blooms in Lake Tahoe and similar freshwater environments. The aim is to eliminate the risks of manual algae removal by scuba divers, which is the current solution employed by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC). Serving as a safer and cost-effective robotic solution for algae mitigation, ALGAE will enhance environmental preservation, marine research, and the tourism industry at Lake Tahoe. For the first year of development, differential drive, sensor data streaming, and remote operation were all achieved using a tethered laptop workstation while the rover was fully submerged at a local boat ramp. The prospect of an autonomous fleet also highlights the broader impact of ALGAE in regions experiencing similar algae blooms not only throughout the nation, but potentially worldwide as well.
Recommended Citation
Aranyosi, Máté; Buist-Thuillier, Julien; Calata-Gentil, Victor; Döhler, Elia; and Yeh, Brian, "Algae: Advanced Lakebed Guardian And Algae Eradicator" (2024). Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses. 131.
https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/mech_senior/131