Final Year Project

Autonomous Water Probing Drone

My final year project, developed in collaboration with Barwon Water, focuses on designing an autonomous water probing drone. This innovative solution was created to gather real-time data from reservoirs efficiently, minimizing human intervention and ensuring safe operations in remote and difficult-to-access locations. Equipped with sensors capable of capturing water temperature and depth, the drone provides crucial insights for water management by performing comprehensive environmental monitoring. The drone autonomously collects water quality data and allows for seamless data visualization using a custom-built Python dashboard. This dashboard enables users to select a specific site, set the date range, and analyze water quality parameters in a 2D slice view of the water body. The user-friendly interface aids decision-makers in accessing and reviewing large datasets with ease. Another key feature of the project was the generative design of the camera mount, which helped reduce the mount’s weight by 70%. This lightweight design significantly improved the drone's flight efficiency and extended operational times. The reduced weight also allowed for better battery optimization, making the drone a more practical and cost-effective solution for long-term water monitoring.