The water drone measures the elevation relief both below and above the water surface with unprecedented precision and almost entirely automatically. Equipped with a combination of sonar and optical sensors, it can not only map the riverbed and bank areas in a single pass, but also independently avoid obstacles. This means that larger objects and the beginnings of scouring on structures, i.e., depressions caused by water turbulence, are clearly visible.

“Insights that were previously impossible”

“This technology has given us insights into the underwater world of the Ruhr that were never possible before,” says District President Thomas Schürmann. “For the first time, the entire survey section could be mapped in almost its entirety, including the shallow water areas and shallow tributaries. This level of detail significantly improves the basis for decision-making — for example, in waterway maintenance or when calculating flood events.”

The drone is only two meters long, weighs around 80 kilograms, and has a low draft, making it particularly suitable for use in shallow, natural waters. Another advantage is that, unlike conventional surveying with large, manned vessels or manual measuring rods, sensitive shallow water areas no longer need to be entered. This keeps the ecological impact to a minimum.

IOSB: Dependent on partners for development to market maturity

The trials in the Ruhr region not only served to collect current data, but also to compare it with previous measurement methods. For the engineers at Fraunhofer IOSB, this was the first practical application under real conditions after the system had been developed as an internal research project. "With the idea of measuring water bodies as fully automatically as possible using a lightweight, unmanned platform, we deliberately broke new ground. We are very pleased that this approach has also paid off here from the user's point of view,“ says project manager Dr. Janko Petereit. ”In addition, every application helps us to further optimize our technology."

The researchers are therefore hoping for further practical pilot projects with challenging application scenarios for their drone. However, corporate partners will ultimately be needed to enable the new technology to deliver its benefits on a larger scale. Janko Petereit: “As a research institute, we are dependent on partners to achieve our ultimate goal: to establish the new technology on the market and make it widely available for water maintenance and safe navigation.”

The Fraunhofer IOSB and the Düsseldorf district government have taken an important step in this direction: with their pilot project, they have set new standards for modern, environmentally friendly, and efficient water measurement — and demonstrated how digital technologies can be used in water management in practice.