The Collector Drone

transportation design masters student fredrik ausinsch at umea institute of design, proposed a drone to tackle the eruption of algae in the baltic sea. the algae sea collector would systematically remove the surface blooms which would result in a drastic reduction of toxins in the water, as well as prevent the spread anoxic sediments that would improve reproduction of local fish. the vessel pumps algae and water into a dewatering system and separates the biomass from the water. it would then be stored in a tank and the water reused to thrust the drone forward. the concept is based on hydrogen fuel cell technology with two electric driven pumps. the drone would be operated from an external cockpit located in a service boat nearby which also empties and refuels when needed. fredrik ausinsch believes that by removing the abundance of algae, the biomass can be a future resource for biofuel production for higher energy needs.