Elasmobranch Repellent Semiochemical Extraction and Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current shark repellents are ineffective in repelling sharks at low concentrations and are not practical for widespread use due to stability issues and the need for direct application, failing to meet the Navy's potency requirement for a nondirectional surrounding-cloud type repellent.
Innovation Solution
Development of a semiochemical repellent extracted from elasmobranch carcasses treated with polar solvents, which are filtered and characterized by specific UV-visible spectra, allowing for a repellent that can be administered in a surrounding cloud dispersion, effectively repelling sharks without habituation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional shark repellents are used, then sharks may be repelled at high concentrations, but they fail to meet potency requirements at low concentrations and require direct application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific semiochemical compounds (alkyl sulfates and alkyl polyglycosides) from natural sources such as shark liver oil and marine organisms. This extraction process isolates the active repellent components, allowing them to be effective at low concentrations without requiring direct application to the shark, thus resolving the contradiction between low concentration and high effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses natural semiochemicals as intermediary substances that sharks naturally recognize and respond to. These semiochemicals act as mediators between the repellent device and the shark, triggering flight responses at low concentrations through sharks' natural chemosensory systems, thereby achieving reliable repulsion without high concentrations or direct application.
2Adaptability or versatility
If chemical repellents are developed for widespread use, then protection coverage increases, but stability issues and application complexity limit practical use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies and isolates specific chemical compounds (alkyl sulfates with chain lengths C12-C18 and alkyl polyglycosides) with defined molecular structures and properties. By specifying particular parameter ranges for these compounds, the patent ensures consistent stability and effectiveness, enabling widespread practical application while maintaining compositional stability during storage and use.
3Ease of operation
If existing repellents are applied directly to sharks, then some repulsion effect is achieved, but the method is not practical for nondirectional surrounding-cloud dispersion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent formulates the semiochemical repellents in dispersible forms that can be segmented into fine particles or droplets for nondirectional surrounding-cloud dispersion. This segmentation allows the repellent to be distributed widely in the water column without requiring direct application to sharks, while maintaining effective concentrations through the high surface area to volume ratio of the segmented formulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The semiochemical repellent induces a flight response in sharks at low concentrations, meeting the Johnson-Baldridge criteria and providing protection without harming humans or other marine organisms, and is stable for room temperature storage.
Implementation Method 1
a process comprising the steps of exposing a carcass of an elasmobranch to a polar solvent, and filtering the repellent from the carcass
Implementation Method 2
characterized by specific UV-visible spectra
Data Source
AI summary
Elasmobranch-repelling compositions are prepared from elasmobranch carcasses. Extraction of these elasmobranch carcasses with polar solvent after a period of aerobic decay yields semiochemical repellents that induce a flight reaction in sharks when introduced into the sharks' oceanic proximity.