Researchers Create Dual Platform Capable of Detecting Pollutants in Water Bodies

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes contaminated water and the poor hygiene associated with this for the transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. To counter this, a group of four Mexican researchers in Holland created a dual platform capable of detecting pollutants in rivers or canals so as to constitute a solution to the problem in the short and long term.

The goal is for the game character has personality of the player through your avatar, so it becomes a technology with environmental benefits by locating the waste that pollutes a site, and social at the time in which the user with his avatar, it contributes to the cleaning of natural areas.

"The game is about the apocalypse in the world by water pollution. Each avatar plays using an actual boat sustainable remote measuring 50 centimeters, has both optical and chemical internal sensors, along with a camera and a GPS. The game is to put this boat in the canals or rivers and with them go censusing water, ie, the player is seeing where there are plastics or other chemical contaminant and its size; so with our technology you're controlling the boat, watching and acquiring location data of pollutants", described the Science teacher Aura Higuera Rodriguez.

To the extent they encounter the pollutants increase the points in the game, travels on missions and information obtained by the sensors is part of a database that serves enterprises or civil organizations to clean these areas. It is important to detail that this stage is a short-term solution.

The also member of the team, Aura Higuera says that this technology is ideal for parents, children and adolescents. "On one hand children and adolescents it is easier to inculcate the habit of not pollute, and they generate awareness and attack the root problem; on the other, for parents organize during the year 'Open Days', similar to a picnic where families attend a river with his boat and racing culminating picking up trash will be found; thus we will promote marriage and family life, in addition to the contribution to the environment ".

Mexican innovation abroad

As part of the contest "The plastic free rivers" which convened to raise sustainable innovative ideas to clean rivers or canals in Holland, the team of "Doom Prepper Sailors", composed of Mexican women who are concluding their doctoral studies and expertise in the area physics and engineering Higuera Aura Rodriguez, an expert in photonics nanotechnology; Stephanie Davalos Segura, mechatronics engineer; biophysics Fabiola Gutierrez Mejia and architect Sandra Sanchez de la Garza, participated and were winners to continue the development of the business model.

At the moment, technology is a prototype, while the economic incentive they obtained boats 3D printed with biodegradable material. The next step will be the implementation of the "open days" depending on the weather, ie in spring and summer and in winter will face, virtual.

"I thought it might be an opportunity for concrete actions for humanity. With this technology we involve society through the generation of awareness on the environment. I think in the world we need the recovery of green areas, and Mexico is no exception, so this game would be very useful for clean water in our country”, concluded the research into new materials and integrated photonic devices, Aura Higuera.