Fisheries research, monitoring, and conservation
The San Francisco Chronicle
May 10, 2012
A fleet of foot-long robots has floated down the Sacramento River to measure delta water flow, detect pollutants and monitor fish.
The 100 GPS-equipped devices, 40 of them fitted with propellers, were let loose from Walnut Grove on Wednesday for a two-mile journey to demonstrate the Floating Sensor Network.
The project is led by University of California environmental engineer Alexandre Bayen and graduate student Andrew Tinka.
The San Francisco Chronicle says the sensors are designed to detect pollutants, measure changes in salinity, monitor fish life and warn of levee breaks, oil spills or other hazards.
Mini-computers in each robot are programmed with a map that allows them to avoid riverbanks and obstacles.
GPS-enabled cellphones allow the devices to transmit information to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
