Avengers of earth| Warming Planet, Cool Ideas
Project Details
Awards & Nominations
Avengers of earth has received the following awards and nominations. Way to go!
The Challenge | Warming Planet, Cool Ideas
Avengers of earth: Signal GK
We have developed a drone which is followed by a "mobile laboratory". Its function is to scan the surface over which it is flying . The laboratory follows the drone to analyse the ground and to determine whether it is possible to grow vegetation there.
Project link in Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B4-nW4Q8_LLc9SUgN...
Warming Planet, Cool Ideas
“If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it!”
ABSTRACT
In this paper, we express our attempt to give a solution to one of the 25 challenges NASA has exposed for the NASA Space App Challenge 2019. Our team has chosen a challenge called “Warming Planet, Cool Ideas”. Our aim is to examine existing space and Earth projects and systems in order to adapt them into specific technologies that help to stabiliza or improve the Earth’s weather, and/or lessen processes that cause global warming. After doing some research on global warming and the technological devices already used by NASA, it was decided to go further in the development of a drone/helium balloon, which is followed by a "mobile lab" or an "Alpha Dog" created by Boston Dynamics. The function of the drone/Globe is to scan and capture the characteristics of the land it is flying over. Once it has detected an appropriate area, the vehicle/Alpha Dog carrying the laboratory will go to the area indicated by the drone/Globe to analyse the ground, this will determine whether it is possible to plant and cultivate a green area there. If this area is suitable, it automatically plants a seed encapsulated in solid water or a tree seedling. If the soil is in bad condition the information is collected to find an appropriate solution depending on the problem encountered. This solution will help to reforest many unoccupied areas of the Earth, seeking to reverse the effects of global warming and climate change. |
OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
|
AGRICULTURAL OBJECTIVES
● To prevent over-watering, this beingthe ma in cause of disease spread in crops and soil degradation ● To reduce the use of fertilizers inorder to prevent soil saturation and groundwater contamination ● To promote a change in agriculturethrough soil and water measuring analysis, to optimize production withoutdeteriorating the substratum ● To improve the quality of harvests, inorder to provide good quality food and ensure quantity for the globalpopulation demand ● To standardize productivity by soiltype |
INTRODUCTION
“If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it”.
Inspiration may come in different forms, and our favourite superheroes are not an exception. All the members of our team have discovered an inner avenger which is emerging for a purpose: helping our planet. Tony Stark words in combination with the NASA slogan: “For the Benefit of All”, gave The Avengers of Earth the motivation to try and give a solution to the global warming problem.
We chose to work with the challenge “Warming Planet, Cool Ideas” since we consider it a wonderful starting point to offer solutions in the region and in the world, and for researchers who are about to travel to the moon.
Our team thought of a vehicle containing a lab and a drone intended to scan and locate areas that are suitable for reforestation. The moregreen spaces there are, the more improvements there will be regarding global warming and climate change, due to the air purification capacity of plants. We see reforestation as one of the best and most natural ways to reverse global warming and lower the carbon footprint. In addition to this, the technology we intend to use has enormous application potential.
We believe that the use of this technology can be applied in the future lunar expedition, planned by NASA by 2024. Using a drone and a similar vehicle/Alpha Dog will help astronauts detect valuable samples that can be used for research purposes.
CHALLENGE
Project SIGNAL G.K: “Warming Planet, Cool Ideas”
As time goes by, the weather inour planet changes drastically, and the careless human use of nature is having terrifying consequences that are threatening lives on Earth. Even when NASA and other institutions are looking forward to finding another place to live, they highly remark the need of taking care of our planet. There is no use in finding another planet to live in if we cannot protect the one – and only one for the time being – we have got.
The following graphs illustrate an increase in global temperature since the mid-20th century.
Another research has shown the increase in the concentration of carbon gases in the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming. This graph, based on atmospheric samples contained in ice cores, shows the increase in atmospheric CO2, the best-known polluting gas.
Pollution has diminished vegetation and the possibility of growing green areas. At the same time, one of the consequences of having less and less vegetation is global warming, due to the increase of gaseous carbon in the atmosphere. The following picture shows the world map and its soil degradation.
What is important now, however, is to turn this information and our ideas into actions, to start the process of reducing pollution and global warming. In the next section, we will expand upon the details of our project and how it can be useful for our beloved planet.
SOLUTION
In this section of the paper, we will give a brief description of the technologies used for the SIGNAL G.K. project and how its application works.
Our project consists in the use of a drone and a vehicle (which is a mobile lab) that will scan and analyze the ground. Through different techniques our drone will scan the assigned area. From this surface-aerial scan with a multispectral camera, we will know the condition of the soil and the vegetation. The drone will send a signal to our vehicle to reach that particular area. Once there, and according to the information received, the vehicle will analyze physical parameters: pH, permeability, conductivity, temperature and granulometry; and chemical parameters: mineralogical composition, organic matter, heavy metals, etc. If the area is contaminated, the robot will analyze the soil sample information to implement possible solutions (fungal cultivation, bacteria, or phytoremediation, etc.).
This information will be used by qualified members of society in order to find a solution and reverse the pollution process. However, if the area is not contaminated and the soil is appropriate for planting, an endless screw "boom" with a channel inside, would make a hole in the ground. It will then release a seed encapsulated in solid water or a seedling.
The vehicle has a set of solar panels that will provide energy for both the functions of the vehicle and the drone. While the mobile lab is analyzing soil samples, the drone will remain on top of its roof to charge the batteries before the next area scanning.
With the use of these devices, we will be able to cover long distances to analyze and reforest. As part of this project, we also hope to generate curiosity and commitment in the academic sector of society. We believe in the importance of promoting contests and hackathons that challenge new minds to continue to innovate this type of technologies. We want everyone to come together and start fighting against pollution. People don't need to be experts on the subject, we just need small, daily actions that change our minds and gradually reverse the environmental hazard we are in.
BENEFITS
This section attempts to specify the benefits of this project: general, relative to agricultural application and applied on the moon.
General Benefits of SIGNAL G.K:
-The implementation of robotic and automated systems to perform work and measurements, facilitating the collection and processing of data, increasing the precision in reducing a margin of error and developing better responses to a problem.
-Be able to collect data from areas that are difficult to reach or that are completely inaccessible for humans.
-Combine data fromaerial, terrestrial, pedological and biological levels.
-Develop more accurate statistical data.
-Increase efficiency in the working hours from a required operator.
-Tour degraded areas globally, taking data and preparing reports of soil degradation. In suitable areas, being able to grow shoots or seeds of predetermined species of plants suitable for those soils, reforesting environments and contributing to the decrease of atmospheric carbon.
-Recover degraded land.
Benefits in agricultural application:
- Obtain accurate information about soil temperature, pH, conductivity, concentrations of nitrogen fixed to the soil, and humidity to maximize and improve crop yield and growth.
-Obtain mineralogical compositions of the soil in order to obtain percentages of concentration of nutrients and minerals, providing necessary information to buy fair and necessary fertilizers, reducing the environmental impact of their use and reducing the expenses invested in them.
- Get aerial images of plants on coloration levels, warning of possible nutritional or pathological problems in a percentage of the crop, acting to solve it and reduce the possibility of crop loss.
- Collect temperature variation data in microclimate hotspots, generated under the coats or the vegetation cover.
- Obtain data on the disturbance of land, being able to improve the location forharvesting different species of plants.It will also help improve the irrigation system, analysing water courses or irrigation canals, reducing the need for investments in it.
-Prevent possible alterations or plagues in the vegetation that lead to a monetary loss, by means of permanent studies.
-Improve the use and distribution of water resources.
-Improve crop yield, increase production, develop more supplies, meet worldwide demand, and reduce the environmental impact
Benefits in moon application:
- Minimizes the exposure of human operators outside the base.
- Greater precision and decrease of the margin of error when obtaining data and samples.
- Obtaining better roads to take samples, land, find land variation, etc., through the images taken by the drone.
- Draw grids of better pedological and mineralogical study areas.
- Increase efficiency in sample collection hours.
- Access to more difficult areas.
- Use renewed and updated physical-chemical methods for rock and soil analysis.
CONCLUSION
Many people think that we should not be thinking of what there is beyond our planet when we have so much to think and do inside it. However, as W. Clement Stone said: “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”, and that is exactly what happened to us. We started in the moon and discovered a great way to help our own planet. So, we hope people will dare to look beyond their eyes and start aiming for bigger things. When we gain perspective, we can discover things we never knew where there. Avengers of Earth were aiming for the moon and ended up thinking in a way of helping our beloved planet. We want to ask everybody to join us in this marvellous trip from their everyday activities: small actions can make a huge difference.
INSPIRATION
“When you are from space and look down towards Earth, your vision changes. You no longer see it as a bunch of scattered entities, you see it as a complete system"Sandra Magnus, Nasa astronaut
"This creates a confusion, I would say, because when you see the countries on a map you clearly distinguish them (...). But when you are in space you do not distinguish anything, you only see some mountains, rivers and lakes, and there are no borders" Sergey Krikalev, Russian cosmonaut
"I was really surprised how thin it is (the atmosphere), you never imagine it, and this is the only thing that protects us from space. It makes you reflect because we have to take care of it" Oleg Kotov, Russian astronaut
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HT-dcjAVkvcfiGtpOwSYuPKCCaZCCapN/view
- https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/instruments/apxs/
- https://climate.nasa.gov/news/808/nasa-maps-how-nutrients-affect-plant-productivity/
- URL: https://comunidad.leroymerlin.es/t5/Bricopedia-Jardiner%C3%ADa/Qu%C3%A9-nutrientes-necesita-un-suelo-de-cultivo/ta-p/236746
- URL: https://www.larrosa-arnal.com/blog/cuales-son-las-principales-caracteristicas-del-suelo-para-cultivar/
- https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological-nitrogen-fixation-23570419/
- https://www.definicionabc.com/general/cultivo.php
- URL: http://imparcialoaxaca.mx/tecnologia/8726/este-es-el-batimovil-con-el-que-la-nasa-quiere-conquistar-marte/
- URL: https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20160201/301816846969/mapa-crecimiento-poblacion-mundial.html
- https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46426822
- https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instruments/test-meters/ph-meter-ph-tester-kat_40088.htm
- https://ag.umass.edu/fact-sheets/measuring-soil-moisture
- https://blog.agrivi.com/post/smart-sensors-for-accurate-soil-measurements
- https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars/
- URL: http://www.tecnoagro.com.ar/fertilizantes-calcular-precio-unidad-nutriente/
- URL: https://www.infobae.com/campo/2019/01/31/el-uso-de-fertilizantes-aumento-un-4-en-la-ultima-campana-alcanzando-las-casi-3-millones-de-toneladas/
- http://www.fao.org/3/y3557s/y3557s11.htm
- https://www.thingiverse.com/
CONTACT
- kevinalejandroalcalde@gmail.com
- ivanarias003@gmail.com
- soledadchinigioli@gmail.com
- agusylu27@gmail.com
- abel_10_gonzales@hotmail.com
- giselgriffone@gmail.com
- nicopaganini_94@hotmail.com
- gabrielyudewitz@gmail.com