The robotic revolution in biofouling management: Disruption, adaptation, and the future of antifouling industries

IF 2.1 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ECOLOGY

Regional Studies in Marine Science Pub Date : 2025-07-05 DOI:10.1016/j.rsma.2025.104328

Heting Hong , Chengyi Luo , Guoping Hong

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The emergence of underwater cleaning robots (UCRs) is transforming antifouling strategies from static, chemical-dependent paradigms to dynamic, service-oriented ecosystems. This paper argues that UCRs are not merely technological innovations but systemic disruptors that threaten legacy coating industries while enabling new models of ecological stewardship and service-based biofouling management. Through an analysis of market trends, ethical trade-offs, and evolving hybrid technologies, this study identifies governance measures necessary to ensure that UCR benefits—ecological, economic, and social—are equitably distributed. These include dynamic fouling indices, decentralized cooperative ownership, and epistemic justice frameworks that incorporate Indigenous and artisanal knowledge into robotic governance. The paper advocates for a transition toward adaptive, antifragile systems rooted in co-evolution rather than suppression, and calls for proactive public-sector engagement to steward this shift.

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机器人在生物污染管理中的革命：破坏、适应和防污工业的未来

水下清洁机器人（ucr）的出现正在将防污策略从静态的、依赖化学物质的范式转变为动态的、面向服务的生态系统。本文认为，ucr不仅是技术创新，而且是威胁传统涂料行业的系统性破坏者，同时实现了生态管理和基于服务的生物污染管理的新模式。通过对市场趋势、伦理权衡和不断发展的混合技术的分析，本研究确定了确保UCR利益（生态、经济和社会）公平分配所必需的治理措施。其中包括动态污染指数、分散的合作所有权，以及将土著和手工知识纳入机器人治理的知识正义框架。本文主张向基于共同进化而非压制的适应性反脆弱系统过渡，并呼吁公共部门积极参与管理这一转变。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Regional Studies in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

CiteScore

3.90

自引率

4.80%

发文量

336

审稿时长

69 days

期刊介绍： REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE will publish scientifically sound papers on regional aspects of maritime and marine resources in estuaries, coastal zones, continental shelf, the seas and oceans.