PRISMA laboratory and environmental sustainability with the PON PlaCE project

There will also be the PRISMA team in the PON PlaCE project.

The Federico II with DIETI - Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, and in particular the PRISMA Lab robotics laboratory coordinated by Professor Bruno Siciliano, is among the partners of PlaCE.

The project aims to test, for the first time at the national level, cutting-edge technologies and solutions for the environmentally sustainable reuse of offshore oil and gas platforms at the end of their production phase. PlaCE will be developed in the area surrounding one of the ENI platforms located off the Abruzzo coast. Planned activities include the implementation of support systems for the assessment of the ecological sustainability of the multifunction platform's activities and the evaluation of the remote management of its operation and maintenance, which will take place through the acquisition and analysis of data, both environmental and functional verification and control.

The PRISMA Lab, will contribute on this front with the deployment of an amphibious drone that will be equipped with a buoyancy system and an innovative station for directly in-situ water column immersion measurements. Currently, explains Professor Vincenzo Lippiello, scientific head of the project, "the same operation requires renting a boat, reaching the site and taking ampoules of marine samples at different depths. Our solution will allow, operating comfortably remotely, in-situ measurement of temperature, PH, salinity, fluorescence and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) up to a depth of 50 meters. In addition, when the drone is in the air, multispectral images will be acquired for mapping phytoplankton over large areas and for monitoring protected marine reserves against unauthorized intrusion by boats and divers."

Numerous research applications will be fielded to achieve the project's goals. In addition to avionics and aeronautics expertise, the most complex challenge is the development of a flotation system capable of ensuring stability in waves up to half a meter high. Professor Lippiello points out, "We gave great attention to aerodynamic aspects to avoid turbulence during flight and to reduce crosswind resistance. A float to be mounted under the drone, could in fact create a sail effect with a consequent deviation from the commanded position, as well as increase energy consumption."

The innovative dive measurement station will be able to process different types of information collected in-situ, as well as acquire depth images of the seabed. "Downstream of the selection of the most suitable measurement probes, we are developing electronic boards for conditioning, acquisition and processing of the various measurements. Finally, we will build an automated shelter station capable of housing and protecting the drone from the weather in case of installation at remote sites for H24 monitoring."

Among the resources employed, as is often the case with service robotics are, at different levels, all the members of the PRISMA Lab. "In fact, we are engaged in both mechanical and electronic development, as well as control, management and information processing for what is the first amphibious drone we are working on, as well as the first project in which we are directly involved in implementing a measurement system useful to marine biologists."

The project is led by a consortium consisting of six university research institutes, a spin-off and a major industrial partner in the oil & gas sector such as ENI.