The main aim of this project is the design and development of an intagrated optical sensor for monitoring and protecting the water enviroment quality specialized for fish-farm applications. The optical sensor is based on the advanced technology of optical fiber nanowires (tapered fibers) which exhibit high sensitivity and responsivity in real time. The developed sensors (sensing nodes) will be immersed at different and variable depths in order to monitor the total water area for the detection of oxygen and pH levels in the water. The optical sensor nodes will constitute a network which will be autonomous and will provide the data to the base station using wireless technology.
The optical fiber nanorwires allow accurately real time measurements of the water quality avoiding this way other time-consuming and highly cost procedures. In this project the oxygen level measurements will be emphasized because it is a very important parameter for fash-farming applications. Finally, the optical sensor will be flexible for the detection of other parameters in the water based on its initial surface functionalization with the suitable materials.