The Automated

Process

Block-Aid's proprietary system is based on the automation of a process developed by a number of environmental groups to control Eurasian milfoil.  ABV des 7 ran a 3-year study which demonstrated that if burlap is laid on the milfoil and held down with sand bags it will kill off the milfoil in the first season and the burlap will biodegrade in 1 to 3-years. This Block-Aid process includes the following;

• A sand hopper system used to control the amount of sand deposited on the installed burlap.
• an articulated arm that allows the burlap to be deployed on a lake/river bottom to a depth of over 4 m. This system also pre-wets the burlap to ensure that it will not float during the initial installation
• an alignment end on the articulated arm to control the tracking of the burlap through the arm
• a water/sand blending system that pumps sand to the end of the articulated arm to deposit sand on the installed burlap in specific locations
• a custom burlap roll management system, able to hold 4 m wide, 640 kg rolls of burlap and control its feed
• a custom cutting system that allows the installed burlap to be cut off the roll at the end of the articulated arm underwater.
• computer controlled proportional hydraulic thrusters to allow the barge to move or rotate in any direction on the water
• A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to guide the computer/barge's travel and compensate for light winds and currents