Chennai's Madras Christian College has recently introduced a smart duck to monitor the water quality of a lake within its vast 300-acre campus located in Tambaram. Equipped with IoT technology, this remote-controlled duck will traverse the lake, collecting real-time data on various key parameters such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH. The lake serves as an essential water source within the campus and was cleared of sediments by Bisleri International Limited under a CSR initiative, which also provided funds for developing a prototype to assess water quality. The team at MCC-MRF Innovation Park designed a 3D-printed duck integrated with sensors and an accompanying app to receive and analyze the collected data.

Principal Paul Wilson of Madras Christian College emphasized the significance of utilizing this data for informed decision-making in lake conservation, ultimately aiding in the preservation of the campus's ecology and wildlife. The smart duck idea, aimed at preemptively identifying water contamination through changes in water quality metrics, was initiated by Wilson. The duck's solar panels enable autonomous operation and can function for up to two days without sunlight, with an option for manual charging if required, as explained by Kousik, founder of the startup KOLOZEN responsible for developing the duck. Over the past two weeks, the startup has been successfully gathering and transmitting the collected data.

Researchers anticipate the potential deployment of similar smart ducks in other water bodies beyond the campus to monitor water quality and furnish valuable data for local authorities. Professor T Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Madras highlighted the scope of utilizing such data to observe water body dynamics during diverse conditions like rainfall and seasonal variations to gauge environmental health and potential disease outbreaks. Moreover, the lush scrub jungle within the MCC campus hosts various wildlife, including spotted deer, porcupines, toddy cats, and bats, establishing a harmonious ecosystem.Install cameras with motion sensors to assist the college in monitoring the movements of wildlife on campus.