ROBOT PROJECT PROPOSAL (DRAFT)

PROBLEM

The San Francisco Bay is home to an ecosystem of plants, microorganisms, and animals. It is also a place of recreation and urban living. Through the influx of human disturbances (personal and industry), the waters of the San Francisco Bay have gone through extreme circumstances that are harming this delicate ecosystem. One of the biggest concerns is chemical pollution. According to Save The Bay’s website, “three million gallons of oil a year is spilled into the San Francisco Bay”, which also includes “harmful metal particles such as lead, zinc, and copper” (Save The Bay). In addition, the advent of mercury in the waters has raised concerns about its affects on fish and wildlife reproduction (Save The Bay) and concerns of sewage disposal due to “sewage spills and crumbling sewage infrastructure (United States Environmental Protection Agency).

PROPOSAL

With this information and understanding of the harms of chemical pollution on The San Francisco Bay, I am proposing to create a robotic monitoring and data collecting system that will swim into the depths of The San Francisco Bay to record levels of the specific chemicals: lead, zinc, copper, oil, and mercury. The robot will have its own propelling mechanism that will allow it to “swim” effortlessly within the waters while picking up samples of water to be brought back for examination. It will also be equipped with a camera to take high-res photographs of The San Francisco Bay’s depth and wildlife to tie in visually what chemical pollution has caused to the ecosystem.