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HydroNode

Probe monitors the water

Experiment with submerged probe, designed to monitor reservoirs, lakes, and rivers

UFMGExperiment with submerged probe, designed to monitor reservoirs, lakes, and riversUFMG

A probe that can monitor the water in reservoirs and indicate its purity, concentrations of dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, and presence of chlorophyll has been developed by researchers from the Federal Universities of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Juiz de Fora (UFJF), and Viçosa (UFV).  After being submerged in water to depths of up to 30 meters, the device transmits the data through a wireless network based on sound waves.  The HydroNode, as the equipment is called, measures the parameters used for assessing the quality of water.  All the data is sent to a central location where computer node software gathers the information and posts it on the Internet.  The probe can also be used in aquaculture, in which measuring the water’s pH and dissolved oxygen levels is very important for fish survival around on oil platforms and in rivers, and lakes.  The idea for the device came from the Reservoir Management Laboratory at UFMG’s Institute of Biological Sciences, coordinated by Professor Ricardo Motta Coelho.  The design was executed by a group of computer science researchers including Professors Luiz Filipe Vieira and Marcos Vieira (UFMG), José Augusto Nacif (UFV), and Alex Vieira (UFJF).

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