Tagging marine animals with sensors to monitor their movements and the conditions of the ocean is crucial for gaining valuable environmental and behavioral insights. Current methods for attaching sensors often involve invasive physical anchors, suction cups, and rigid glues. However, these methods can cause stress and discomfort for the animals, leading to potential negative impacts on the data collected. A newly created soft hydrogel-based bioadhesive interface for marine sensors, known as BIMS, offers a potential solution for this issue.hniques often involve invasive or unreliable methods that can harm the animals or produce inaccurate data. The BIMS tagging system offers a solution to this problem by providing a non-invasive, efficient, and adaptable approach to tracking a wide range of marine species, even those that are delicate and easily damaged. This method not only helps researchers gain insights into animal behavior, but it also collects valuable oceanographic data that is crucial for understanding the effects of climate change and managing marine resources. The BIMS tagging system is a valuable tool for studying and conserving marine life.The current methods for attaching sensors to marine animals rely on invasive physical anchors like suction cups and rigid glues. These techniques work well for animals with hard exoskeletons and large animals like sharks, but they are not ideal for more fragile species such as squid and jellyfish.
However, a new soft hydrogel-based Bioadhesive Interface for Marine Sensors (BIMS) has been developed. BIMS shows promise as an effective, rapid, versatile, and non-invasive method for tagging and tracking all kinds of marine species, including those that are soft and fragile and have been difficult to tag in the past.It is difficult to access some animals in the ocean, as stated in a recent journal article by scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and their partners. The BIMS tagging can provide valuable insights into animal behavior and also collect important oceanographic data that is essential for understanding the impacts of climate change and for resource management.
As mentioned in the article, “Bioadhesive Interface for Marine Sensors on Diverse Soft Fragile Species,” published in Nature Communications, this technology will enhance the monitoring of oceanographic conditions and species habitat. This will ultimately aid in better understanding the impacts of climate change and in managing natural resources.The focus of the article is on the significance of the Bio-Inspired Medical Sensor (BIMS) technology in studying animal behavior and its potential applications. Co-lead-author Seth Cones, a Ph.D. candidate at the MIT/WHOI Joint Program, emphasizes the ability of BIMS to be used in various ways, such as attaching sensors to previously unmonitored animals for tracking their movements and condition. BIMS is effective due to its thin layer of dried-hydrogel adhesive, which is designed to form strong bonds with animal tissue both physically and chemically.An article in HTML format discusses a new tagging method for marine species that involves using sensors to rapidly absorb seawater from the surface of the organism’s body. The sensors then form a soft yet strong hydrogel that conforms to the organism’s body shape in less than 20 seconds. This method is much faster than other tagging methods, which can take up to 8.5 minutes and potentially stress the animal, disturb natural behaviors, and affect data quality.
The researchers tested this new tagging method on various marine species, including squid, skate, flounder, and lobster. The tests were conducted ethically, mostly in a large saltwater pool at WHOI’s Environmental Systems Laboratory, as well as in the field in the Azores Islands, Portugal.
According to the study, BIMS was discovered to remain attached to delicate aquatic creatures for up to three days, enabling long-term monitoring of animal behavior.
The scientists examined various factors, such as the toughness of the adhesive at the interface, stability of adhesion, and its strength under shear and tensile forces. They also evaluated the potential disruption of animal behavior and found that the animals quickly returned to their usual individual and group behaviors.
“The BIMS enables us to monitor both the animals and the oceans, allowing us to better anticipate the effects of climate change and other issues that impact marine environments,” stated the co-author of the journal article.The author, Aran Mooney, who is an associate scientist in biology at WHOI, mentioned that another advantage of BIMS is its ability to provide medication to animals that are sick or injured, which could potentially help endangered species. Additionally, using multiple sensors on a single animal could also measure their body movements and provide valuable information for creating marine robots that are inspired by biological systems. In the future, more advanced acoustic or optical sensors could be integrated into the system. Camilo Duque London, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, also emphasized the importance of collaboration between engineering and marine sciences for this research. He stated that the paper introduces a new approach and a vision for the future.A new tool, created through teamwork across different fields, has been developed for use by marine biologists who study delicate species. The research for this tool was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, Naval Sea Systems Command, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. The study was published in Nature Communications in 2024 and can be found in the journal reference listed below.(1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46833-4