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Autonomous Microplastic Detection in Marine Environments Using a Sea Buoy-Controlled Drone with SWIR Spectroscopy
Summary
This paper proposed an autonomous microplastic detection system combining a sea buoy and a drone equipped with short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy to monitor plastic pollution on ocean surfaces at scale. Autonomous drone-based detection systems could enable cost-effective, large-area mapping of floating microplastics that would be impractical to achieve with ship-based sampling alone.
This article outlines a novel strategy for the autonomous monitoring and detection of microplastics on sea surfaces, leveraging an integrated system comprising a sea buoy and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) sensor. The proposed system aims to provide an efficient and scalable solution for marine plastic pollution assessment, addressing the challenges of extensive area coverage under strict operational constraints. We detail the technological components of the buoy and drone, their functional interplay, and the data processing pipeline. A mathematical deduction for optimizing the scanned sea surface area within the drone's flight endurance limit is presented, considering both linear and raster scan patterns. This approach emphasizes dynamic flight planning informed by real-time environmental data to maximize detection efficiency and provide crucial insights into microplastic distribution.