New technology enables bioinspired design

studies in the deep sea

Dr. Kakani Katija, Principal Investigator/Engineer

kakani@mbari.org, @KakaniKatija
4
MBARI’s Mission:
“…to achieve and maintain a position as a world center for Santa Cruz To San Francisco
advanced research and education in ocean science and
technology, and to do so through the development of
better instruments, systems, and methods for scientific
research in the deep waters of the ocean.”

Monterey

To Los Angeles
What can we be inspired by in the deep sea?
Image credit: Knute Brekke
 tools to evaluate
“ecomechanics”
(or context) Innovative
observation
platforms
+
Deep sea bio-inspired
State-of-the-art
engineering design
instrumentation
+ solution(s)
Access to novel
study systems
inspiration

Bioinspiration Lab Vision

How can we study ecomechanics in the deep
sea?
 Dye visualizations reveal animal-fluid interactions

3 cm Katija & Dabiri, Nature (2009)

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measures fluid motion
 PIV velocity and vorticity fields
3 cm

(Left): Raw images of free-swimming Aequorea victoria used for PIV. (Right): Velocity fields.
Videos are played back at real time.
Katija et al., Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. (2011)
 Observing the deep sea using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)

ROV Ventana ROV Doc Ricketts ROV MiniROV

Dimensions (LxWxH): Dimensions (LxWxH): Dimensions (LxWxH):
3 m x 1.7 m x 2.2 m 3.7 m x 1.8 m x 2.1 m 1.2 m x 0.9 m x 0.6 m
Dry weight: 2,567 kg Dry weight: 4,763 kg Dry weight: 363 kg
Payload weight (in- Payload weight (in- Payload weight (in-
water): water): water):
115 kg 275 kg 60 kg
Depth rating: 1,850 m Depth rating: 4,000 m Depth rating: 1,500 m

Image credit: Todd Walsh, Dale Graves; MBARI

 DeepPIV on MBARI’s ROV Doc Ricketts on board R/V Western Flyer
(July 2017, v3.0)

Particle/Dye
Bladder
Particle/Dye
Injector Tubing

Laser/
Camera Optics

Image credit: Paul McGill, MBARI

 ROV MiniROV
tools(testbed)
to evaluate
“ecomechanics” ROVs Ventana,
(or context) Innovative Doc Ricketts
observation
platforms
+
Deep sea bio-inspired
DeepPIV State-of-the-art
engineering design
instrumentation
+ solution(s)
Access to novel
study systems
Giant Larvaceans
inspiration

Bioinspiration Lab Vision

2 cm

Bathochordaeus mcnutti
 “Ecomechanics” informs inspiration

Giant larvaceans are believed to be important players in carbon and nutrient

cycling through ocean midwaters.

• Filtration
Filtration impact?
impact?

• Mucus house structure?

• Mucus house function?

Animation credit: Kelly Lance, MBARI
 tail

trunk

inner filter Bathochordaeus stygius

2 cm Katija et al., Science Advances (2017)
 Hourly
filtration rate
(estimated)
Alldredge (1977), Silver et al (1998)

Hourly
filtration rate
(measured)
Katija et al., Sci. Adv. (2017)
 Estimate total abundance and average density
using transect data from 100 to 300 m:
max ~ 6.4 ind.100-1 m-3
Hourly ave ~ 0.3 ind.100-1 m-3
filtration rate Robison et al (2007), Katija et al., Sci. Adv. (2017)

(measured)
Katija et al., Sci. Adv. (2017)

~500 Olympic-sized swimming

pools filtered per hour (max)

~13 days to filter 200 m of

Monterey Bay (max)
Katija, Choy et al., Science Advances (2017)
 “Ecomechanics” leads to inspiration

Giant larvaceans are believed to be important players in carbon and nutrient

cycling through ocean midwaters.
5 cm
• Filtration impact?

• Mucus house structure?

• Mucus house function?

Katija, Choy et al., Science Advances (2017)

 ROV MiniROV
(testbed) tail mucus-
ROVs Ventana, bending particle-fluid
Doc Ricketts modes
Innovative interactions
for human
observation health
platforms
+
DeepPIV Deep sea bio-inspired unfolding/
State-of-the-art expanding
engineering design
instrumentation structures
+
Access to novel enhanced
fluid
study systems ciliary models mixing/
Giant Larvaceans for early transport
olfactory
systems
Bioinspiration Lab Vision
 Current developments beyond DeepPIV

www.bioinspirationlab.org
 ITAG: Tagging solutions for soft-bodied invertebrates
(NSF IDBR, 2015-2018)
Jellyfish Squid

Tag Specifications
▪ Behavioral:
3-axis accelerometers and
magnetometers, pressure
Same electronics but with a different
▪ Environmental:
base
Pressure, attachment
andtemperature, method
dissolved
oxygen, salinity, and light
▪ Data Type:
Archival (>200 Hz); Argos and VHF
recovery

With WHOI (A. Mooney), U. of Michigan (A. Shorter), Mooney, Katija, Shorter, et al. (2015)
Loggerhead Instr. (D. Mann) Flaspohler, et al. (J. Exp. Biol., In Review)
Jelly tagging field trials have just begun!
 The Mesobot: A robot for investigating the ocean interior
(NSF GEO-OTIC, 2017-2020)

Lights

Gimbaled
camera

Thrusters
With WHOI (D.Yoerger, et al), Stanford (S. Rock), and Stereo cameras Fluid
UTRGV (J. Breier)
Image credit: WHOI sampler
Collaborators: WHOI (D.Yoerger, et al), Stanford (S. Rock), and UTRGV (J. Breier)
 Mesobot

ROVs
?
FathomNet
ITAG
Innovative
observation ?
platforms
DeepPIV +
Deep sea bio-inspired
State-of-the-art
engineering design
instrumentation
3D(dt)R +
Access to novel
study systems Midwater animals ?
Benthic Systems
?
Bioinspiration Lab Vision
 How will we be inspired by the deep sea?

www.bioinspirationlab.org
 DeepPIV (MBARI):
Alana Sherman, Chad Kecy,
Denis Klimov, Dale Graves,
Jon Erickson,
Bruce Robison, Jim Barry
ITAG:
Pedro Afontes (Univ. Azores)
Aran Mooney (WHOI)
Alex Shorter (Univ. of Mich.)
David Mann (Loggerhead Instr.)
Mesobot
Bruce Robison, Brett Hobson,
Michael Risi (MBARI)
Steve Rock (Stanford Univ.)
Dana Yoerger, Joel Llopiz, Annette
Govindarajan, Peter Wiebe (WHOI)
Chip Breier (Univ. Texas RGV)
Instrument Larvacean tail kinematics - Megan
Development Ecomechanics Leftwich (George Wash. Univ.)
Immersed boundary methods - Alex
Hoover (Tulane Univ.)
Ciliary fluid dynamics - Janna
Nawroth (Univ. Hawaii) and Eva
Kanso (USC)
Squid paralarvae propulsion - William
Thank you! Gilly and Diana Li (Stanford Univ.)
Tomopteris swimming dynamics -
Kakani Katija Karen Osborn (Smithsonian Inst.)
kakani@mbari.org Microplastics - Anela Choy (Scripps)
and Bruce Robison (MBARI)
Sponge feeding ecology - Joshua Lord
(Moravian), Amanda Kahn and Jim
Barry (MBARI)