Mexican student creates submarine robot to detect water pollution

Aldo Rodríguez Victoria

, a student at the Computer Science Faculty of the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP) , developed a prototype submarine robot capable of real-time water analysis.

The idea for the project came from the ecological disaster that took place in August 2018 , in which at least 50 manatees, snakes, crocodiles, and fish died as a result of pollution in the Bitzalez municipality in Tabasco.

According to the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) , the model uses motors for submersion and sensors for internal and external monitoring, with which they obtain data that is later sent to a receiving device to process the information.

The sensors are used to detect humidity levels while the voltage sensors are for battery monitoring. The device is also equipped with a GPS system and temperature sensors.

The submarine robot is meant to perform water analysis, mainly by means of pH and temperature monitoring , so that people who take their water directly from streams or lakes are provided with real time information on its quality. The system is designed primarily for lakes and can be used in aquaculture .

It can also stream live videos and uses Xbee technology for data throughput. The robot design puts many technologies into practice.

The submarine robot weighs three kilograms and can withstand a pressure of 49 kPa (kilopascals) ; reaching a depth of five meters. Its design and construction were carried out under the advice of the science teacher Meliza Contreras González.

With his submarine robot, Aldo Rodríguez Victoria has won two contests, the BUAP Project Fair (Fepro) and the VI Meeting of Young Researchers 2018, organized by the National Council of Science and Technology in Puebla (Concytep).

UANL students create hi-tech pollution absorbent

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