LARABICUS

Biofouling on ship hulls raises fuel consumption and spreads invasive species, yet conventional cleaning takes vessels out of service or relies on biocidal coatings. LARABICUS develops cleaner-fish robots that scrub hulls autonomously while the ship is underway, delivering this as a cleaning service whose reports document a fouling-free hull.

Unlike port-based diver cleaning or self-polishing antifouling paints that release biocides into the water, the robot cleans in transit without downtime, uses soft mechanisms that preserve hull coatings, and draws propulsion energy from the surrounding water. This positions LARABICUS with ship operators facing emissions and biofouling rules that reward continuously clean hulls.