These Custom-Built Drones Help to Document the Human Impact on Whales
Katherine Pendrill — August 11, 2015 — Eco
References: whale.org & kickstarter
Ocean Alliance has partnered with the Olin College of Engineering to produce a series of custom-built drones that help to monitor the health of whales in their natural habitat. According to the Ocean Alliance, tens of thousands of whales are harmed or killed each year due to human activity. These whales are crucial to our aquatic ecosystem and their continued decline could be disastrous for our oceans.
In order to better understand our impact on whales in their natural habit, the organization has designed a number of custom-built drones called 'Snotbots,' which will help to monitor the health of these vulnerable ocean creatures. These drones hover above surfacing whales and then collect the snot that is expelled by the animal. The Snotbots then return the samples to the lab, where researchers can examine them more closely.
While the idea of examining whale snot may sound unappealing, this lung lining sample can help researchers better understand the kinds of hormones and environmental toxins that whales are absorbing from our ocean.
In order to better understand our impact on whales in their natural habit, the organization has designed a number of custom-built drones called 'Snotbots,' which will help to monitor the health of these vulnerable ocean creatures. These drones hover above surfacing whales and then collect the snot that is expelled by the animal. The Snotbots then return the samples to the lab, where researchers can examine them more closely.
While the idea of examining whale snot may sound unappealing, this lung lining sample can help researchers better understand the kinds of hormones and environmental toxins that whales are absorbing from our ocean.
Trend Themes
1. Ocean Conservation Drones - Custom-built drones designed for ocean conservation purposes
2. Whale Protection Drones - Drones used to monitor and protect whale populations from human activity
3. Environmental Research Drones - Drones used to collect data and analyze the effects of human activity on the environment
Industry Implications
1. Environmental Conservation - The use of drones to monitor and protect the ecosystem can disrupt the way environmental conservation is done, reducing risks and increasing efficiency
2. Marine Biology - The use of drones to collect data on whale populations can help marine biologists better understand the effects of human activity on the ocean ecosystem
3. Drone Technology - Developing and producing drones for environmental conservation and research purposes presents unique opportunities for the drone technology industry, including increased demand and expansion of the technology
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