Catone, multitask unmanned surface vessel for hydro-geological and environment surveys

Abstract

Surveys with boats over water surfaces imply relevant logistic constraints, practical difficulties to overcome and possible risks for the operators. Such activities, in fact, generally require the presence of human operators aboard motorized vessels which often must be transported to hard-to-reach places, to dangerous and hazardous sites. Moreover, environmental constraints or insufficient water depth can prevent the use of outboard engines. This paper describes the innovative, newly developed unmanned craft aerRobotix –CatOne— (www.aerrobotix.com), capable of carrying out a variety of hydro-geological and environmental measurements in total or partial autonomy. It avoids to expose humans to risks, causes neither air nor water pollution, reduces the number of operators involved, makes transport and handling easy, yields low operational costs. Based on proven successful applications the paper describes the characteristics of CatOne, the functional peculiarities that make it unique and points out its advantages with respect to traditional systems.