This wireless drone can autonomously navigate a site, retrieve multiple water samples without cross contamination, sense multiple parameters of water quality in real-time, and integrate that information into a geophysical information system with minimal human operator intervention.
Water resources are an essential part of many industries, and monitoring water quality is necessary to ensure the continued health of the economy and ecosystem. This uncrewed aerial device integrates water parameter sensors, near-infrared multispectral cameras, a novel water sample collection apparatus, a geophysical information system (GIS), and wireless communication for the autonomous sampling and sensing of water. Its circuitry is adaptable, allowing it to accommodate a variety of sensors based on the application. It can take multiple samples and store them without risk of cross contamination, providing data that is added to a map for the tracking of quality measures across space.
• Autonomous - sample collection and sensing does not require human intervention • Integrated - adds data wirelessly to a GIS map • Adaptable - different sensors can be added or swapped out by application
• Governmental agencies (environmental protection, water management) • Wastewater monitoring • Water treatment plants • Research institutions • Fish farms and aquaculture • Water-based recreational facilities
US patent 19/250,934
• Licensing • Development partner