RIASSUNTO
Fish-as-a-Service (FaaS) is a business-to-business model offering monitoring services performed by a biomimetic fishlike drone. FaaS considers environmental, scientific, and business concerns when addressing marine monitoring, providing alternative methodology while preserving ocean resources. The key to FaaS is the ability to provide a low-cost, low-maintenance, high-endurance, agile sensor platform. This article analyzes the design criteria for such a vehicle and the challenges presented. The current state of AUVs (both traditional and biomimetic) is briefly reviewed to put these design challenges in perspective. The solution offered by Aquaai Corporation to address this challenge is the bio-inspired vehicle (BIV). In robotics, biomimicry emulates designs found in nature to solve technological challenges - such as the tuna fish for swim speed and cuttlefish for rapid maneuverability. The key for success is that the design of the BIV incorporates biomimicry with aerial drone technology and advanced manufacturing techniques to achieve the low-cost point necessary to proliferate throughout the water space.