Aloha,

     This just came across my in-box:

An economical custom-built drone for assessing whale health.

Vanessa Pirotta, Alastair Smith, Martin Ostrowski, Dylan Russell, Ian D. Jonsen, Alana Grech and Robert Harcourt (2017). An economical custom-built drone for assessing whale health. Frontiers in Marine Science 4:425.

Abstract:

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have huge potential to improve the safety and efficiency of sample collection from wild animals under logistically challenging circumstances. Here we present a method for surveying population health that uses UAVs to sample respiratory vapor, ?whale blow,? exhaled by free-swimming humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and coupled this with amplification and sequencing of respiratory tract microbiota. We developed a low-cost multirotor UAV incorporating a sterile petri dish with a remotely operated ?blow? to sample whale blow with minimal disturbance to the whales. This design addressed several sampling challenges: accessibility; safety; cost, and critically, minimized the collection of atmospheric and seawater microbiota and other potential sources of sample contamination. We collected 59 samples of blow from northward migrating humpback whales off Sydney, Australia and used high throughput sequencing of bacterial ribosomal gene !

markers to identify putative respiratory tract microbiota. Model-based comparisons with seawater and drone- captured air demonstrated that our system minimized external sources of contamination and successfully captured sufficient material to identify whale blow-specific microbial taxa. Whale-specific taxa included species and genera previously associated with the respiratory tracts or oral cavities of mammals (e.g., Pseudomonas, Clostridia, Cardiobacterium), as well as species previously isolated from dolphin or killer whale blowholes (Corynebacteria, others). Many examples of exogenous marine species were identified, including Tenacibaculum and Psychrobacter spp. that have been associated with the skin microbiota of marine mammals and fish and may include pathogens. This information provides a baseline of respiratory tract microbiota profiles of contemporary whale health. Customized UAVs are a promising new tool for marine megafauna research and may have broad application!

  in cost-effective monitoring and management of whale populations worldwide.

Keywords: UAV, UAS, drone, blow, humpback whale, microbiota, technology, conservation

This publication is open access and is available here:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00425/full

Best regards,

Vanessa Pirotta

Vanessa Pirotta | PhD Candidate

Marine Predator Research Group

Department of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia

Ken, no pics? What a shame!!

You know what a visual person I am...

Ok, read the article. Thanks.



RedHotPoker

Here in aus its illegal to fly anywere near whales. Or for that matter any wild animals.
If you get caught you can face very big fines

We have very similar rules to obey, up here and all around...


You wouldn't think a large animal would be phased, by a drone..

These bison, are very powerful...

RedHotPoker

Hellsgate Posted at 2017-12-24 14:09
Here in aus its illegal to fly anywere near whales. Or for that matter any wild animals.
If you get caught you can face very big fines

Aloha Hellsgate,

     This research is done under permit.  They are authorized to get close enough to the whales to collect DNA suspended in the "blow".  My purpose in posting this research is to show our friends here on the Forum that you can do some interesting things in the "real" world with your Phantoms and other drones.  We can make important contributions to understanding our world.

Aloha and Drone On!

Cetacean Posted at 2017-12-24 15:59
Aloha Hellsgate,

     This research is done under permit.  They are authorized to get close enough to the whales to collect DNA suspended in the "blow".  My purpose in posting this research is to show our friends here on the Forum that you can do some interesting things in the "real" world with your Phantoms and other drones.  We can make important contributions to understanding our world.

Aloha, Cetacean!

Thanks so much for sharing this. With a past in bio research, I just loved it!

Cetacean Posted at 2017-12-24 15:59
Aloha Hellsgate,

     This research is done under permit.  They are authorized to get close enough to the whales to collect DNA suspended in the "blow".  My purpose in posting this research is to show our friends here on the Forum that you can do some interesting things in the "real" world with your Phantoms and other drones.  We can make important contributions to understanding our world.

I kinda figured that it would have been done using a special permit.
Just wanted to make a point that for the rest of us these kind of flights are off limits.
And with very good reason

I would be a little concerned tho sending a phantom anywhere near the blow from a whale not only would you have to contend with the sudden updraft of air but also the large amounts of salt water would soon destroy any drone caught in that environment

A noble sacrific for the benefit a science i guess

Interesting, I see this use of technology as being problematic at least for some time initially.  
Concept wise it's a great idea, but equipment wise just being around all that salt water can be troublesome enough then there would be stability factors to overcome while interacting with a live unpredictable animal...I'd think underwater UAVs would be far more practical in this case then an airborne device.  But hey I'm no marine biologist...

Antonio76 Posted at 2017-12-24 16:26
Aloha, Cetacean!

Thanks so much for sharing this. With a past in bio research, I just loved it!

Aloha Antonio,

     Emphasis on "past"!  Bummer, can you imagine what fun we could have had if we knew and had what we have now way back then.  These kids are reaping all the fun we set the groundwork for.  Mahalo for your contribution and Merry Christmas!

Aloha and Drone On!

Hellsgate Posted at 2017-12-24 18:38
I kinda figured that it would have been done using a special permit.
Just wanted to make a point that for the rest of us these kind of flights are off limits.
And with very good reason

Aloha Hellsgate,

     If you can figure it out, there is away to do almost anything.  In Australia, there is so much cetacean research going on.  Look up a research group in your area and see if they can use your talents.  Then, once you learn the limitations and ropes of approaching cetaceans you are in, up close and personal as part of a team doing valuable research.   

     So far, what has been shown is that as long as drones stay up above 100 feet, cetaceans generally are not disturbed.  But, the local research group will know the most about the best approach. There are also research counts of cetaceans that migrate past specific locations.  Using drones in that process is usually very much in demand.  Often there is a need for more than just one drone and photography, especially 4K videography with a good steady slow moving hand.

     I really do not think we appreciate how much in demand we are if we volunteer.  Researchers like free because most cetacean funding is on a shoestring.

Aloha and Drone On!

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-12-24 21:39
Interesting, I see this use of technology as being problematic at least for some time initially.  
Concept wise it's a great idea, but equipment wise just being around all that salt water can be troublesome enough then there would be stability factors to overcome while interacting with a live unpredictable animal...I'd think underwater UAVs would be far more practical in this case then an airborne device.  But hey I'm no marine biologist...

Aloha Genghis,

    Actually it is a booming "industry" right now.  Cetacean researchers have discovered drones and they like it!  Your saltwater concerns and operating from a ship deck are not problematic anymore as long as you do not place your drone on the metal deck.  Many of the boats are fiberglass or wood.

     The drones rarely get below 100 feet so the live unpredictable animal does not apply so much.  And often wild cetaceans are quite predictable, that is why photographers are able to get such awesome breaching photos.  The whales usually breach in series of 5-7 breaches (Humpback Whales anyway).

     The drones used in the article are racing to Mavic sized that are able to shadow a whale within surface visibility.  Then when the whale rises to blow, the quadcopter swoops in to snatch the sample.  The mist from a blow can last for up to a minute.  The material in the blow droplets is invaluable to cetacean researchers.

     At the end of the day, the quad is disassembled and then set in distilled water to dissolve accumulated salt for a couple hours and then dried and reassembled.  Electronic parts are marinized so they can be rinsed off.  Quad racers do this kind of stuff without contributing valuable information to science.  They do it just to race.

     There are cetacean research opportunities for underwater UAVs but they do no have anywhere near the speed needed for the type of research quads are good for.  Drones have been used for cetacean research for almost five years now if not more.  So the problematic period has already passed and as you note, concept wise it is a great idea!

     Merry Christmas!

Aloha and Drone On!

Cetacean Posted at 2017-12-25 23:03
Aloha Genghis,

    Actually it is a booming "industry" right now.  Cetacean researchers have discovered drones and they like it!  Your saltwater concerns and operating from a ship deck are not problematic anymore as long as you do not place your drone on the metal deck.  Many of the boats are fiberglass or wood.

Well hard to argue with something that is working for them...I wonder what a marine proofed bird goes for, I'll bet that is pricey.  
Drone Away!

Genghis9 Posted at 2017-12-26 09:47
Well hard to argue with something that is working for them...I wonder what a marine proofed bird goes for, I'll bet that is pricey.  
Drone Away!

Aloha Genghis,

    They are all custom built, or maybe I should say custom marinized.  When you are Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, etc., you have a department that does that for their many different applications.  Even much smaller operations do their own work marinizing electronics.  And it is not so much to make it waterproof as it is to allow them to be rinsed off and used again.  That is why some of the quadcopters are open construction like the racers.  Take them apart, rinse them, dry them off, then dry them real good and reassemble for use again.  Only the sample units qualify for one-time use.  Those are sealed, refrigerated and sent direct to the lab.

     Look at some of our own threads.  Phantoms crash into water.  Saltwater or fresh water, there is an approach that allows you to save your bird, and Phantoms are not marinized.  

     BTW, if anyone chooses to use the very effective raw, dry rice method, they have to be sure to put the rice in a close weave pillow case for the drying.  One pillow case under the bird and one pillow case above the bird but not heavy enough to warp the Phantom.  The tight weave keeps the rice powder from getting into cracks and causing problems.

     They have it down to a science, LOL!

Aloha and Drone On!

A whale of a snot catcher for sure!

Cetacean Posted at 2017-12-26 12:56
Aloha Genghis,

    They are all custom built, or maybe I should say custom marinized.  When you are Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, etc., you have a department that does that for their many different applications.  Even much smaller operations do their own work marinizing electronics.  And it is not so much to make it waterproof as it is to allow them to be rinsed off and used again.  That is why some of the quadcopters are open construction like the racers.  Take them apart, rinse them, dry them off, then dry them real good and reassemble for use again.  Only the sample units qualify for one-time use.  Those are sealed, refrigerated and sent direct to the lab.

Yes I've herd of this technique and not so much for the dust but the rice itself too

ALABAMA Posted at 2017-12-26 13:18
A whale of a snot catcher for sure!

Aloha ALABAMA,

     Truer words were never spake!

Aloha and Drone On!