Robot boats and drones will test Outer Banks oyster beds for water pollution
Researchers are testing drones and robot boats that work together to measure pollution around Outer Banks oyster beds.
The drones and boats, developed by researchers from North Carolina State University, work much like an aircraft carrier operation; the drones will be able to take off and land on the robot boats, where they can also recharge.
They will soon be launched to test water following storms that send polluted runoff to the waterways.
Faster water testing could save oyster farmers from losing about a quarter of their annual earnings, said Sierra Young, an assistant professor at N.C. State’s Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
“This project is great because it combines people with different expertise to solve a specific problem,” Young said. “And this is a pretty big problem.”
Tests have shown the catamaran-style boat, which is more than a meter long, can motor around the surface measuring water temperature, oxygen and salinity and send the data to the drone soaring overhead.
It will have a big ‘X’ marked on its surface where the drone can land to recharge, much like aircraft refuel on an aircraft carrier. The team is still working on that capability.
The drone, from its birds-eye view, will be able to communicate to the boat how large the polluted area is and what obstacles might be in the way, such as small islands or docks.
The team plans to combine the attributes of the slower-moving boat that can hold more water samples and operate longer with the faster drone than can cover more territory, she said.
Eventually, oyster growers may get access to the equipment and do their own testing.
“That’s the vision,” she said.
The robots will eventually be able to sample bacteria levels faster than ever and in unprecedented expanses of water, Young said.
Scientists also hope to better predict pollution hot spots, she said.
Storms like Hurricanes Dorian and Florence have flooded coastal creeks and sounds with polluted runoff from farms, lawns and town stormwater systems. It can contaminate shellfish farms along the coast, possibly making oysters that are natural water filters unsafe to eat.
Following a storm, the state closes down the farms until the water can be tested, said Chris Matteo, president of the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association and owner of Chadwick Creek Oysters. The closures are based on past pollution levels, which might not reflect current numbers.
Oyster farmers lose an extra 50 to 100 days because of the lack of manpower to test the water quickly, Matteo said. Being able to do so would be an enormous relief, Matteo said.
“We have massive amounts of water in eastern North Carolina and limited resources to test the water,” he said. “They have to do something different in order to keep up with the industry. This makes total sense.”
Oyster farming has grown rapidly in recent years through media exposure and the movement to produce more local seafood, Matteo said. Oysters are good for the environment and nutritious, he said.
The number of oyster farmers in North Carolina has grown from less than five to more than 70 in the last 10 years, Matteo said.
The state manages 357 shellfish farm leases on 1,977 acres, according to the Division of Marine Fisheries. The permits allow for oysters and clam, but most grow oysters, Matteo said. Many growers own more than one lease.
Young’s team of scientists from N.C. State University include Steven Hall, Natalie Nelson, Celso Castro-Bolinaga and John-Paul Ore, offering a combined expertise in robotics, water quality, software engineering and websites.
The team will test the craft in lakes first then expand to the coast during the four-year project.
Jeff Hampton, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com
