Pharmacist develops AI device to curb fish mortality

Nigerian pharmacist Ukachi Benita has created an AI-powered device called Aquamanne to help fish farmers detect water quality changes and minimize fish mortality. Inspired by a loss of 3,000 fish in her mother’s pond in 2026, Benita developed the prototype during a Google Gemma hackathon. Aquamanne uses sensors and an ESP32 microcontroller to monitor water parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature.

The readings are processed by Google’s Gemma AI model, which is run locally and relayed to a farmer’s phone through an application. The device alerts farmers to changes in water quality and offers recommendations to reduce risks to their fish. Benita explained that AI can bridge language barriers by presenting information in local languages and providing voice communication.

The initial prototype, costing around N30,000 to build, was created using locally sourced components within a week. However, some sensors were unavailable, necessitating the use of available parts. Fish farmers, such as Sesan in Lagos and Goodluck Juwan in Bariga, have reported fish losses due to oxygen depletion caused by water pollution.

Juwan, who lost 5,000 catfish in 2021, expressed interest in a monitoring system that could advise farmers on necessary actions. Following the hackathon, Benita received requests from farmers seeking remote monitoring capabilities. She is now collaborating with a professor from Oxford and an embedded systems engineer to enhance the device's durability, reduce its dependence on electricity, and improve its support for African languages. The team aims to create an affordable and easy-to-install device for farmers.