Localized Floating Bot for Restoration of Water Bodies

The exponential growth of the global population has led to a heightened demand for essential resources needed to sustain life on the planet. This increasing demand has adversely affected the health and survival of aquatic flora and fauna, increasing the urgency for effective aquatic ecosystem restoration methods. A critical step in restoring these water bodies involves the collection and proper disposal of suspended waste particles on their surfaces, ideally in designated areas far removed from the aquatic environment. Beyond waste removal, it is equally important to assess the quality of water through aqua-metric profiling. This process involves evaluating the aquatic body against established aqua-metric standards, with the goal of enhancing water quality through targeted remediation strategies. Technological intervention for the continuous monitoring of aquatic bodies, along with the segregation of suspended waste particles, is strongly advocated. In this work, a floating robotic platform is developed that is capable of performing a qualitative assessment of the water body and collecting surface waste. Accurate analysis of water quality throughout the water body necessitates effective 3D localization. Therefore, this paper presents the design and working of such an aquatic robot, which not only collects suspended waste but also implements a novel localization technique for profiling purposes. This work presents the comprehensive design and characterization of a floating robot equipped with functionalities for waste collection, localization, and water quality assessment. Both the design specifications and source code are openly accessible to support and encourage further research and development within the scientific and engineering communities.