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Smartphone-equippedfloating robots transmit waterdata in real-timeBy Andrew Webster on May 10, 2012 03:36 pm 11Comments
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Earlier this week researchers from the University of California, Berkeley took to the Sacramento River todeploy a fleet of 100 mobile sensors to gather real-time data about the river. The Floating Sensor Project, as it'scalled, is hoping to replace traditional fixed water sensors with something that's able to provide information "ata level of detail not currently possible" — everything from water movement to the spread of pollutants. Andbecause the sensors are mobile, they can also be easily deployed to monitor an emergency situation, such as anoil spill.
Each sensor includes a water-tight capsule complete with a battery and a GPS-equipped smartphone with acustom-built Android app, which sends information back to a lab every few seconds. Of the 100 deployedduring testing, 40 were equipped with propellers that let them avoid obstacles and move around as autonomousrobots. Once the testing is complete the sensors can simply be scooped up out of the water until they're neededagain — and each time they enter or leave the water they're able to send out a tweet.
Right now the sensors cost a few thousand dollars each, but the team is hoping to reduce that by quite a bit assome units will inevitably be lost after being deployed in the field. Once that's sorted, they have some prettyhigh hopes. "We expect this to become an invaluable tool for the future management of a critical resource inthis state and around the world," says associate professor Alexandre Bayen.
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Via Network World (YouTube)Source University of California, BerkeleyRelated Items berkeley research university of california robot gps prototype sensor autonomousalexandre bayen water sensor sacramento river
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