One of the most common methods for surface water particle collection (for micro-plastics, plankton, or zooplankton research) is a manta-trawl, which is a device consisting of a frame, flotation elements, a plankton net, and a cod-end. The manta-trawl is typically attached to a boat, but using a boat often comes with downfalls.
In this study, the Portable Catamaran Drone (PCD) creates a new way to sample using the manta-trawl. The vehicle is affordable, easy to operate and transport, equipped with zero-emissions electric propulsion, and can be deployed directly from shore.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a Portable Catamaran Drone (PCD) – an Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) that may significantly improve the scalability of surface water particle sampling using a plankton net. We preset vehicle design and evaluate its potential during field-trials.
Author: Zolich, A.; Faltynkova, A.; Johnsen, G.; Johansen, T.A.
Journal: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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