Hey, do you know that researchers from the National University of Singapore have created a herd of robotic swans that tests the quality of drinking water in Singapore's reservoirs? Yes, the robotic bird is known as NUSwan which can swim freely across the water's surface using underbody propellers. They are fitted with a number of sensors to monitor the quality of freshwater lakes and reservoirs-such as the level of oxygen dissolved or chlorophyll while blending in the natural environment. The team of researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) believes that this system offers a cheaper and less complex alternative to water-checking methods currently used. Freshwater reservoirs are complex environments that are highly dynamic over time and space.
The water quality of the reservoir can be affected by factors such as increasing urbanization, recreation, and other human activities. Monitoring of water quality at present is typically conducted using fixed online stations which provide limited coverage, by taking a boat to fixed locations to collect grab samples, or by taking manual measurements, which are complex and time-consuming. Wireless technology is used in these swans to make them float easily and to stream real-time data results to a command center. The actions of these swans can be remotely controlled by operators based on the data. The sensors and the actuators are used to increase the swans monitoring abilities. On combining a miniature water grabber and natural water parameter probes in NUSwan it was decided to collect water samples by the researchers for detailed laboratory analysis. This is useful to understand the relationship between the micro-ecosystem and water quality. NUSwan is also designed to be utilized alongside other monitoring systems – such as NUS underwater manta ray robot, which is used for underwater surveillance. Robots are increasingly being utilized in everyday life to monitor and improve our environments. You can also build such robots in future, all you have to do is to start from the basics of Robotics. Check out our cool robotics kit, through which you can learn from the basics of Electronics to build a walking robot.
Impact of Local Restrictions - Partial, night, and complete lockdowns in certain parts of India.
As local governments across cities and states are taking action to stem the rapid rise in cases of Covid-19, certain restrictions are being put in place that impact delivery and warehouse operations also in certain Pin-codes.
Most of these impacts are small this time and we are working to ensure a smooth and delightful delivery experience for our customers, nevertheless there might be some delay in delivering orders in certain pin codes.
But most orders will be delivered in the stipulated time frame as we are working to further strengthen our backend logistics.
