MF42
Solo Project
Optimising shrimp farming through mili-fluidic technologies
Mili-Fluidics
Colorimetry
Rapid Prototyping
Aquaculture
Field Work
What is MF42?
MF42 is a tool for shrimp farmers that automates the water quality monitoring process using mili-fluidics and colorimetry. It tracks the data and recommends steps for optimum shrimp growth.
What does it do?
Shrimp farmers lack easy methods for measuring the health of their farms’ waters. This leads to disease outbreaks in the shrimp. MF42 automates water quality monitoring to provide consistent and accurate readings of pH, ammonia, nitrite, and oxygen levels.
Why water health?
Maintaining good water health reduces the chances of disease and it is imperative to avoid disease to farm shrimp efficiently. With seafood being the fastest growing source of protein, we need such efficiency to serve the demand sustainably. I visited 50+ farms to understand their methods of water monitoring and found them lacking in ease of access, accuracy, and data tracking. They use different tools for measuring different parameters and perform water tests manually. MF42 was inspired by the lab-on-a-chip devices that integrate several laboratory functions on a single device to achieve automated, accurate, and fast testing.
How does it work?
Water health is analysed by mixing a sample of water with colour indicative dyes, and assessing the colour of the resulting solution. Millifluidics and colorimetry are used for this. Peristaltic pumps push the sample and the dyes through millimetre wide channels designed in a plastic chip (millifluidics). As these liquids are pushed, they mix in the channels of the chip and form a coloured solution. Then a sensor measures the absorbance of light by this solution to assess the colour (colorimetry). Plain water is then pushed through the chip to clean all the channels. This process is auto-repeated for all parameters. A microprocessor controls the movement of the pumps as well as signals the sensor to take readings. Based on the reading, it calculates the levels of different parameters in the water. If any of the levels are out of balance, the device prompts the farmer to take remedial actions via a smartphone application which also tracks all the data.
Working Principle
Project Video