iROS Surveillance, a Drone for Detecting Hazardous Chemical Pollution
Students at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) have developed a device to monitor levels of hazardous chemical pollution in the open air. This detection is carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The tool, named iROS Surveillance, was developed by Deddy Welsan, Johnson Lee, and Riza Syaihikma as a final assignment at the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI) ITB.
The iROS Surveillance innovation is a combination of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), namely a UGV unit named SEEKER JR, and a drone named TARROT T680 as a UAV.
These two devices work together to monitor and map chemical contaminant levels in real time and autonomously. According to kamuskesehatan.com, a contaminant is a substance present in the environment where it is not intended or at levels that could cause harm (harm) to health.
iROS Surveillance itself was exhibited at the (Electronic Engineering) event EEDays From May 22-24, 2018, in the East Hall of ITB, the exhibition was one of the requirements for their graduation to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI) at ITB.
"The creation of this tool was motivated by the widespread use of hazardous chemical contaminants in Indonesia, which of course can endanger the public," said Johnson Lee, quoted from a press release received by Bandungkiwari.com, Thursday (7/6/2018).
iROS Surveillance utilizes numerous sensors and key features for monitoring and mapping. These include automatic tracking capabilities supported by Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
For operation, the iROS Surveillance is equipped with wheels and a sturdy frame. It has a range of up to 50 km and is suitable for use in various terrains and weather conditions.
In addition to UAV and UGV units, iROS Surveillance also features an interface system developed from open-source flight control software called QGroundControl. This interface serves as a controller or liaison between the user and the vehicle.
Through this interface, iROS Surveillance can perform automatic takeoff and landing (ATOL) and navigate user-defined paths. The interface also includes visualization features that display data such as iROS Surveillance's position, chemical contaminant concentrations, and mapping paths.
To use iROS Surveillance, you must first define several parameters, such as the takeoff point, sensor sensitivity, and the path taken. Here, iROS Surveillance uses a path setting that resembles a digital signal graph that constantly forms a collection of rectangles.
"This is implemented so that the route forms a broad coverage area, and provides accurate data," said Johnson.
After setting the path, the UGV will move from the starting point to the take-off point, where the drone will start flying and follow the predetermined path to carry out the surveillance and mapping process.
The data obtained in this process is sent in real time and displayed to the user using the interface system.
Currently, the three ITB students plan to carry out further development until iROS Surveillance can be used in various cases in Indonesia, and can also be used widely for other purposes, such as agriculture, geomapping, smart cities, and forest monitoring.
"We hope our tool will also be used in a variety of situations, for example, to deal with chemical substances in conflict zones and industries with high accident rates," Johnson continued. (Iman Herdiana via Kumparan)