Snotbots — Drones Designed to Collect Data from Whale Spouts

The Ocean Alliance, partnered with the Olin College of Engineering, has developed a new method to get lung lining samples from whales. Lung lining samples tell researchers what toxins are present in the whale, show virus and bacteria loads, and give each specific whale's DNA.

Previous sampling methods required scientists to chase down the whales and shoot them with crossbow darts. Whales are very sensitive to noise and the large loud boats elevated the whales' stress level, possibly skewing some of the data. The new drone collection method, codenamed Snotbot, allows the user to fly a drone near the surfacing whale's spout and collect data from its discharge.

The developers faced several challenges while getting the drones ready for whale data collection. Drones had to be waterproof but aerodynamic. Collection systems had to be developed that would take in the proper inputs from liquid mist to get good whale data. After several iterations and a floating test platform codenamed Snotshot, the drones were ready for testing and large scale deployment.

Funding raised from this Kickstarter campaign will be used on three of the Ocean Alliance's expeditions. Southern right whales will be studied in peninsular Valdez Patagonia. Fin, blue, humpback and sperm whales will be studied in the Sea of Cortez. Humpback whales traveling through the Alaska Marine Highway will be studied in the Frederick Sound.

Snotbots look more like a loosely similar army of drones rather than a highly coordinated swarm. Several of the drones shown in the campaign video and website information show improvised design features like red Solo cups, pool noodles and 3D printed legs. This is another example of a highly specific application that shows drones can be used to solve many problems. It's also worth noting that Sir Patrick Stewart is featured prominently in the campaign video, as a longtime supporter of the Ocean Alliance.