Singapore launches use of GPS-equipped robotic swans to monitor water quality

To test the water quality in a reservoir, workers typically take a boat to collect samples. But that's an incredibly slow way to gather data, especially if there's an explosion or unexpected contamination.

A team in Singapore is working on an alternative approach: GPS-guided robots that take measurements and transmit the results wirelessly to researchers, and look like swans to blend in with the environment.

Called NUSwan, the project is led by researchers at the Environmental Research Institute and the Institute of Tropical Marine Sciences, both part of the National University of Singapore.

They have been testing propeller-driven robots in Singapore's Pandan Reservoir, which is already popular among remote-controlled boat enthusiasts.

Researchers can remotely control a toy boat that resembles a swan, but the idea is to program it with a few instructions and then let it wander around, testing itself. GPS can help ensure a robot doesn't constantly patrol the same area. /CNA

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