Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Water-Skimming Robot for Pollution Cleanup |
Dylan Bautista Malay Rungta Zachary Krauter |
Dongming Liu | design_document1.pdf design_document2.pdf proposal1.pdf proposal2.pdf |
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| Title: Water-Skimming Robot for Pollution Cleanup Team Members: Dylan Bautista (dylanjb5) Zachary Krauter (zpk2) Malay Rungta (mrungta2) Problem: Water pollution from man-made debris, poor waste management, and invasive species threatens aquatic ecosystems and public health. Traditional cleanup methods are often inefficient and labor-intensive, highlighting the need for an automated solution. With increasing environmental concerns, there is a pressing need for innovative solutions to protect marine ecosystems. Solution: We propose a robotic system that autonomously skims water surfaces to detect and collect small floating debris within a predefined area. The lightweight robot will float and roam a body of water to collect material in a skimming net for disposal or analysis. It will use GPS and sensors for efficient coverage and steering, allowing for it to return to a set of coordinates for emptying. Additionally, the system will include water quality sensors, such as a turbidity sensor, to monitor pollution levels. The turbidity sensor will be connected to LED lights to provide real time feedback on water clarity: a green light for normal conditions and a red light for high pollution levels. Our system can be tested in a nearby lake or pool on a small scale to evaluate both its collection capabilities and its ability to provide water quality data. Solution Components: Subsystem 1: Motor Control hardware The motor hardware consists of dual brushless DC motors with rotor attachments for water. We have selected the LICHIFIT RC Jet Boat Underwater Motor Thruster 7.4V 16800RPM CW, which should have sufficient torque for our slow-moving purpose. This will be attached to our power system and regulated by our microcontroller through PCB connections. Subsystem 2: Autonomous guidance (software) The actual steering will be done using a rudder which is moved in place by a servo motor, such as the RC Boat Model Servo Steering Gear. This will also be attached to the power system and microcontroller. A control algorithm will be implemented on the Arduino Uno Rev 3 controller board much like how an autonomous vacuum cleaner operates. It will be roaming the expanse of its body of water, adjusting the angle to avoid the gps-defined boundaries of the body of water. This will have to use a GPS Module Receiver, Navigation Satellite Positioning NEO-6M to determine when the front of the robot is nearing these edges. Additionally, after a set period of time, the robot will return to a specified set of coordinates using its GPS and IMU information in order to dispose of the contents of the net. Subsystem 3: Power Systems The 7.4 V Zeee battery should be sufficient to run all the sensors, motors, and steering servo. The components will be housed in a waterproof case to protect the electronics from any water damage. Subsystem 4: Chassis and Storage The main chassis will be made mostly of 3D printed parts and lightweight materials like PVC pipes and styrofoam. We will use a standard plastic debris net which has an entrance mounted at the end opening of the floating device, with the rest of the net trailing behind. Subsystem 5: On board Sensors At minimum, our robotic system will have a turbidity sensor to monitor particle content in the water for additional environmental data. This will be connected to our power system and the accompanying microcontroller. The robot will use LED lights to provide visual feedback based on the sensor readings. Green will indicate normal water conditions, and red will indicate water pollution. The sensors will change the lights if turbidity rises above a predefined level. Criterion for success: For our system to be deemed effective, we will test our robot in a small scale body of water such as a university pool or a nearby lake.We will set a general outline of boundaries where the boat should not cross, and place small floatable and retrievable pieces of debris within the water. We can also add contaminants like dirt to test the turbidity sensor. Our product will be deemed a success if the robot eventually picks up these pollutants and makes it to the disposal zone with the object still in the net, and if it can relay the water turbidity through LEDs. |
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