Company: mmh Labs

Category: Tech for a Better World

Bluefin is a tagging technology that sticks to the fish, or a fish wearable, that can measure water temperature, pressure, depth and pH levels in parts of the ocean humans can’t reach.

Only 2.4 grams, the Bluefin functions continuously for a whole year at a proven depth of two kilometers in the ocean, and it is simply attached to the outer shell or skin of an animal.
The tagging technology has been tested on marine species including blue crabs, turtles, stingrays, beluga whales, sharks and blue fin tuna.

“The gathered data will be analyzed to preserve and to enhance the marine ecology anywhere in the world,” said Muhammad Mustafa Hussain, professor of electrical engineering at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), who worked on developing Bluefin.

The Tech Behind It

The product has two specific designs: an attachable tag for smaller marine species, and a larger stretchable polymeric belt to tie around larfer marine species. Bluefin is the first tagging tech that does not restrict the animal’s movements and does not cause harm to the animals.

Using iridium-based chips, the system provides seamless data transmission from the tags, and the power supply is ensured by non-toxic physically flexible batteries.

The current prototype relies on Bluetooth technology to transmit data stored on the chip to smartphones. The gathered data provides KAUST with the information useful for effective policy implementation to reduce society’s environmental impact on marine ecology.

Initially available only for oceanographic research institutions, Bluefin will be available in 2020 for scuba divers, naval forces and fisheries that are interested in marine life tagging for ecological data.

“I realized we could help marine species by developing comfortable and convenient wearables for them,” Hussain said.

See Bluefin at the CES 2020 Innovation Awards Showcase.