ABOUT

Laboratory for Underwater Systems and Technologies – LABUST is a research laboratory within the University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the Department of Control and Computer Engineering. It was established as research laboratory in December 2011. LABUST is at present the only research laboratory with R&D and innovation capabilities for underwater systems and technologies on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea. Laboratory serves as the focal point for applied research and development activities in unmanned marine systems and technology for end-users. Our vision is to advance in multidisciplinary engineering research that innovates, applies, and teaches world-class attainment in autonomous marine systems, sensor processing, and underwater acoustics for marine science, maritime archeology, maritime security, the offshore energy sector, and other applications.

As part of the project, LABUST will develop an Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) that will perform fish farm cage inspection missions autonomously in cooperation with an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and a Remotely Operated Vehicle, ROV). The ROV will be cable-connected to the ASV and will receive control commands from the ASV, while it will send back high-resolution images of the cage. The position and orientation of the ROV will be estimated by the advanced fusion method of inertial and acoustic devices. An innovative cable winding mechanism will allow the ASV to monitor the ROV at a safe distance during cage recording. Also, a landing platform and secure UAV acceptance on the ASV will be developed during the project. Autonomous planning of the ROV mission for the purpose of recording the entire cage and management of the ROV based on computer vision will be at the top of the research goals of the LABUST team.

The activities of the Institute are basic and concern the research of natural features in the Adriatic Sea and its coastline, particularly research into the structure and processes of ecosystems, use and interpretation of scientific information for the benefit of developing and furthering the cooperation of research scientists with similar institutes and scientific groups both nationally and abroad, education and cultural activity, as well as the provision of professional services to interested users. The Institute, in accordance with scientific progress and economic opportunities, also develops other activities, such as: monitoring living marine and land resources, monitoring sea quality, experimental rearing of plant and animal species with the aim of acquiring fundamental knowledge and studying the various stages of natural processes, maintenance and popularization of aquariums, maintenance and popularization of the Botanical Garden on Lokrum, formation of scientific and expert collections, as well as the organization of courses and lectures that reflect on the Institute’s fundamental activities. The Institute has the approval of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction of the Republic of Croatia for carrying out environmental protection work: elaboration of environmental studies, elaboration of expert studies, and monitoring work.

Within the project, the Institute for Marine and Coastal Research of the University of Dubrovnik will participate in the implementation of activities that include defining system specifications, data analysis and population modelling in mariculture, application of technological solutions for measuring physicochemical parameters of seawater on autonomous underwater vehicles, demonstration scenarios in mariculture, and dissemination of project results.

The Faculty of Agricultureof the University of Zagreb is dedicated to the training of highly qualified experts, development and dissemination of scientific and professional knowledge and modernization, improvement, strengthening competitiveness and encouraging sustainable development in the field of agronomy and related sciences. By applying the highest academic standards, it enables students to acquire competencies based on modern scientific knowledge, for the benefit of society. The vision of the Faculty of Agriculture is to strategically position itself as a leading higher education institution in the Croatian higher education and research area and as an internationally recognized and recognized scientific and educational institution. The general objectives are to promote research and technological development in the field of agronomy, to facilitate the transfer of scientific progress and to assess one’s own technological progress. The Department of Viticulture and Enology operates within the Faculty of Agriculture. Scientific research work at the Department of Viticulture and Enology is focused on problems in the field of physiology, nutrition and ecology of the vine, valorization of various production systems (conventional, sustainable, ecological) as well as technological interventions in the vineyard, soil maintenance, fertilization, breeding systems, ampelotechnical interventions, etc.) and their influence on the yield and quality of grapes and wine. Special attention is paid to the autochthonous assortment of vines, i.e. its inventory, ampelographic and genetic determination. Furthermore, the scientific work covers the problems of nursery production, as well as wine production technology. There is a significant contribution of the Department in continuous cooperation with practice, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and scientific and professional institutions. In recent years, numerous international contacts have been established, which have resulted in very fruitful cooperation with universities and institutes from Europe and the United States.

Within the project, associates from the Faculty of Agriculture will test the effects and adjust the system in real conditions in the vineyard when performing grapevine pruning and pest control treatments, visual and analytical monitoring of system effects compared to conventional manual procedures in the vineyard, field testing of the quality and efficiency of the system, as well as visual and analytical monitoring of the effects of conventional manual procedures and appropriate processing of data collected in the vineyard.