Meet Sampriti From Kolkata, Who Invented World’s First Underwater Drone That’ll Map The Ocean
27 Feb 2016 6:19 AM GMT
Image Source: Hydroswarm
Expanding technology and its services have primarily taken place to elevate science, engineering, and mechanism since the date of its very existence. Mankind has witnessed an overall revolution; from a time of stone tools in the Paleolithic period to the Chinese trebuchet catapult; from spy satellites to introducing rocket science, along with which came intercontinental ballistic missiles. If measured across the setting of the arrangement of it, we will come to know that technology has been essentially and most loyally been used for military.
Militaries have augmented technology by unmanning their systems. Naval forces, in specific, have seen the evolution of machines that they have used. It was until now when the ROVs (Remotely Operated underwater Vehicles) had become famous. As years passed, people tried and even succeeded in constructing this equipment. There have been many renowned schools and universities across the globe who have competed against each other in creating ROVs.
But, something fresh has came in the news about a female who, in many people’s eyes, did something which was thought to be unimaginable until now. Featured in Forbes 30 under 30, Sampriti Bhattacharyya invented and patented the world’s first set of underwater drones. What can they do? Their abilities are to autonomously communicate and work together to scan the ocean for lost planes. Furthermore, these can measure oil spills as well radiation under the sea.
Originally hailing from Kolkata, Bhattacharya, just 28 (that was “unimaginable”), is a grad student and Ph.D. scholar from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). When she won the MassChallenge, 2016, her start-up company, Hydroswarms, received a prize money of $50,000. Hydroswarms is into mechanizing and constructing swarms of egg-shaped, somewhat football-sized, underwater drones. These are created in a way to withstand the colossal pressure of the deep oceans and swim across its beds; as the drones’ sensors map out the topography, monitors pollution underneath and studies marine life.
Bhattacharya says that it has always been her wish to make such a drone because the other types were really expensive and only best suited for military and warfare. Also, there was not really any device which could track the ocean bed on a larger scale. Hydroswarms work in places where even GPS does not work. It can cover upto 100 sq km in a matter of just four hours. All this, and not to forget’, a very latest technology in the world of robotics, at a relatively cheaper price is just what is a requirement of the present time.
Systems of this level were unthinkable only a couple of years ago. Today, our Kolkata girl, Sampriti Bhattacharyya, has taken her dreams and turned them into a possibility of the contemporary generation’s technology.
The Logical Indian is proud of Sampriti achievement’s and hopes her company brings revolution to the scientific advancements. We wish her success in her endeavour.