Petrozavodsk State University (PetrSU) has created an unmanned catamaran for assessing the condition of water bodies, the press service of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation reported.
The new unmanned surface complex is a vessel capable of moving at speeds up to 10 km/h, and a ground control and monitoring station. A special platform is installed on the catamaran's hull, which houses batteries and equipment.
The vessel is equipped with two electric motors. GPS is used for spatial orientation.
The drone operates under the control of an operator from a distance of up to 30 km. It is capable of continuous navigation for at least 24 hours. Two video cameras are provided on board to transmit video images to the ground station in real time.
The complex can be used as a remotely controlled or autonomous platform with the vessel moving along a pre-programmed trajectory, automatically or manually measuring hydrological and environmental parameters, as well as conducting real-time visual inspection of the bottom, bridge supports, pipelines and other engineering structures.
The development can be used by hydrometeorological centers, scientific institutions, oil companies, the Ministry of Emergency Situations (State Inspectorate for Small Vessels), and the Federal Agency for Fishery.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that in Tolyatti a drone for water body research was tested.
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