Singapore has a unique way to monitor pollution levels in reservoirs and lakes. The engineers in Singapore created a swan robot named “Swan”. Aside from the literal meaning, Swan is also an acronym of the Smart Water Assessment Network. As the name implies, it has a duty to constantly measure the source of clean water supply in Singapore.
Goose robot will reduce manpower and the bonus can beautify the lake and reservoir in Singapore. One of the assistant professors of the National University of Singapore’s electrical and computer engineering program, Mandar Chitre, said the goose robots would swim around lakes and reservoirs to measure water quality.
“The data will be available in real time (on the spot) in cloud computing and then sent to experts at the water management agency, so they can quickly respond to water quality issues,” Chitre explained.
The goose robot can also be commanded via the cloud , so experts can directly monitor a specific area or bring samples of water for laboratory purposes. Swan can measure pH levels, oxygen solutions, turbidity levels, and chlorophyll in lake water or reservoirs.
Because it is directly connected to the computing system in real time , the water management agency can know early if the water supply is not worth consumption. From a distance, Swan looks like a real swan, but from its chassis, Swan is made sturdier to withstand collisions with kayaks or other boats.
There are five “tail” geese robot that have been operated in lakes and reservoirs throughout Singapore. Chitre said he and his team hoped the system would attract other countries’ attention to adopt a Swan system that can be utilized by water management agencies.
“We will add Swan’s sensors and capabilities as well as improve control systems and analytic data,” he said. He added that his team plans to make a goose robot that works adaptively to oversee the lake and find sources of pollutants.