A solar unmanned vehicle to monitor water pollution

Water pollution monitoring is a big challenge especially in remote areas. It will not only monitor surface water pollution but also serve many other purposes.

Hemant Jacob | TT  | Hooghly | April 14, 2024 : A group of budding engineers mostly from west Bengal, led by Dr Surajit Chattopadhyay invented an unmanned vehicle Hansa 1.1 (UWV) to monitor pollution at the water surface, powered by Pico grid.

Water pollution monitoring is a big challenge especially in remote areas. It will not only monitor surface water pollution but also serve many other purposes.

The model was launched on 4 April in an exhibition organized by Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering and Technology, a centrally-funded technical institute, under the ministry of education.

Professor Parameswar Rao A Alapati, director of the institute, inaugurated the exhibition that showcased around 26 other inventions. In his inaugural speech, he encouraged the technical ability of the models and its innovators.

The Hansa team includes Dr Surajit Chattopadhyay, head of the electrical engineering department and his students, namely, Suvajit Ghosh, Subhadeep Mahata, Sudip Murmu, Bikram Das and Bhaskar Roy. All have their origin in West Bengal.

Dr Chattopadhyay pointed out that all the parts of the UWV were made in India. It included a very small DC-DC, DC-AC Pico grid to provide the energy enhancing surveillance run time. The model can be made available at a low cost. The Pico grid is portable and it integrates eco-friendly solar photovoltaic-based electricity that can serve other energy needs of the owner.

“Now, as pollution has become an important concern for the sustainable development and growth of the country, this work focuses on monitoring surface water pollution that may occur on top of the water surfaces and at the top layer of water. AI-based cloud computing has been utilized to discriminate against different pollution levels. The model can incorporate an underwater mapping facility. Hope it will meet various needs of both surface water and underwater monitoring,” said Dr Chattopadhyay.