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Since the inception of our college in 2008, one of our important objectives has been to add value to the society. In line with this idea, our staff and students have completed multiple projects having socio-economic values. It is happy to record that our students are selected to undertake various Humanitarian Technology Projects connected with fisheries by IEEE Artisanal Deep Sea Fishers SIGHT.

For about a year the students and faculty of AVCE have been working under the guidance of Mr. J. Vincent Jain, CE of ADSGAF and Chair, IEEE ADSF SIGHT to identify the problems faced by the fishermen. The identified problems were studied diligently by our faculty and student members and appropriate engineering solutions to tackle the problems were evolved. The following are some of the ongoing projects

LED Illumination for Fishing Boats

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has recommended proper illumination in fishing vessels for its safety. To prevent marine accidents while fishing, proper illumination is highly important. Nowadays in fishing boats incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps, powered by diesel engine of the boat are used. The current illumination system in the boat are high fuel consuming and are hazardous for the fishermen.
To reduce the fuel consumption, our III Year, EEE students, under the guidance of Mr. Gaswin Castro, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, are planning for illumination using LED luminaires. LEDs offer many other advantages in contrast to the conventional luminaries such as less toxic emissions, compactness, directional lighting etc. Illumination are being planned based on various factors such as the area of work, Type of work done, Materials of floor and walls etc. Outcome of this project will offer an effective illumination system on par with the industrial standards.

Longline Cut Detection System

Longline is a technique used by fishermen in fishing. This technique employs a longline, which is a long rope to which various baited hooks will be attached. This rope is called main line. The main line may get cut due to several reasons, mainly when it is over sailed by a propeller boat. During such accidents, the fishermen has to loose the longline along with the fishes caught.
To detect a longline cut, our IV Year, ECE students, under the guidance of Mr. Gaswin Castro, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, have designed a wired technique. The design includes a microcontroller fixed on board. The microcontroller will check the continuity of the longline by sending a signal through a wire loop spanning along the entire long line. If the longline is cut, the signal will be disturbed which triggers an alarm.

Man Overboard Detection System using PIR Sensors

Man overboard is the scenario where the fisherman fall off the boat while fishing. In these situations, if the other crew members are not alerted immediately it may result in the loss of a life. As per a study conducted by South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies (SIFFS) in 2009, 63 man overboard accidents had been reported from 2000 to 2007 in Tamil Nadu. Many devices are already found to detect the man overboard situations but they are neglected by the fishermen due to the cost factor. Moreover, some of the devices are found to be non-automatic where in the victim should operate the safety device to generate alarm to his crew.
At AVCE, our IV Year, ECE students, under the guidance of Mr. Gaswin Castro, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, are designing a cost effective system which can automatically detect man overboard situations with the help of PIR sensors. The PIR sensors detect the fisherman falling off the boat and helps in raising the necessary alarm. They are cost effective and provide an automated solution to the man overboard problem. A prototype was already designed and presented in the conference “First Consultation on Safe Boat Design and Boat Building to FAO Standards” and now the project is in the stage of implementation.

Solar Powered Tricycle for Fish Vending Women

Fabricate specially designed three wheeler vehicle which will be operated in solar power for carrying fish to a short distant market. Since transportation of fish from the first point of sale to another point of sale is a major problem, this vehicle may help them to overcome the problem to a certain extend. The fish vending women also need not wait for bus and they also will reach at the destination on time. The solar tricycle mainly consists of Solar panel, Brushless DC motor, Battery, Charge controller and Throttle.
The project is designed and carried forward by the EEE and Mechanical Engineering students of our College, under the guidance of Mr. N. Rahul, Industrial Relations Officer, Annai Vailankanni College of Engineering.