Plume Monitoring Swarm

Plume Monitoring Robotic Swarm: Plumebots

The Plume Monitoring Swarm project involves an area of robotics where swarms of small robots cooperate to achieve a common task. In this instance, we are interested in measuring the extent of chemical plumes in bodies of water. These plumes can be as simple as freshwater plumes in saltwater bodies, or the reverse. We are also interested in the plumes created by chemical effluents where the type of plumes measurable is limited only by the availability of sensor technology. Our existing prototypes are able to measure salinity, pH, temperature, TDS and conductivity. Current environmental monitoring science has developed various software models for the simulation of aqueous plumes, but to date accurate, 3D sensing of plume structure in situ has not been accomplished.

This project presents a robotic swarm consisting of multiple copies of a robot that we have named the Plumebot. The swarm is released at the origin of the plume and the robots spread out and collect data on the extent and structure of the plume in the water. The Plumebots are in communication with each other and are capable of maintaining their distance in order to develop an accurate and dynamic map of the plume shape. When the swarm has completed their survey, they regroup downstream for collection and data dump and analysis.