Chennai: Madras Christian College has introduced a high-tech duck to monitor the water quality of a lake situated within its extensive 300-acre campus in Tambaram. This IoT-equipped, remotely operated duck will traverse the lake to collect real-time data on seven crucial attributes such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH. The lake, a significant water source on campus, was cleaned by Bisleri International Limited as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative. They also provided funds to create a prototype for assessing water quality. A team from MCC-MRF Innovation Park developed a 3D-printed duck embedded with sensors and designed an application to receive and analyze the gathered information. "By utilizing this data, we can make informed choices regarding the preservation of the lake, aiding in the protection of the environment and wildlife within our campus," stated Paul Wilson, the principal of Madras Christian College, who spearheaded the concept of using the smart duck. Wilson emphasized that any alteration in water quality, like a rise in acidity levels, could indicate contamination and enable them to take preventative actions to mitigate the impact. "The duck is equipped with solar panels for power. It can function without sunlight for up to two days and can also be manually charged when necessary," mentioned Kousik, the founder of the startup KOLOZEN responsible for the duck's construction. The startup has been acquiring and transmitting the data for the past two weeks. Experts suggest that similar ducks could be deployed in other water bodies outside the campus to monitor water quality and gather data for local authorities. "This data can provide insights into the behavior of water bodies during various weather conditions, environmental conditions, and diseases. Additionally, it can be used to establish a hydroinformatics platform for analyzing water bodies," commented Professor T Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Madras. The dense scrub jungle within the MCC campus is home to around 90 spotted deer, porcupines, toddy cats, and bats.Cameras equipped with motion sensors are used by the college to monitor the movements of wild animals on campus.