Chennai: Madras Christian College has introduced a sophisticated device to monitor the water quality of a lake situated within its expansive 300-acre campus in Tambaram. The remote-controlled duck, equipped with IoT technology, will navigate the lake to gather real-time data on seven crucial parameters such as water temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and pH levels. The lake, a significant water source within the campus, underwent desilting courtesy of Bisleri International Limited as part of their CSR initiative. The organization also provided financial support for the development of a prototype to assess water quality. A team from MCC-MRF Innovation Park designed a 3D-printed duck containing sensors and developed an app to receive and analyze the collected data. "With this data, we can make well-informed decisions to safeguard the ecological balance and wildlife on our campus," stated Paul Wilson, Principal of Madras Christian College, who conceived the concept of deploying the smart duck. He emphasized that any alteration in water quality, such as increased acidity levels, could indicate contamination and prompt proactive measures to mitigate the impact. Kousik, founder of the startup KOLOZEN, responsible for building the duck, highlighted that the solar panels embedded within the duck can power it for up to two days without sunlight and can be manually charged if necessary. The startup has been successfully acquiring and transmitting the data over the past two weeks. Researchers suggest the possibility of deploying similar devices in other bodies of water beyond the campus to monitor water quality and provide data to local authorities. "This information can offer insights into the behavior of water bodies during various climatic conditions, their environmental well-being, and potential health risks. It presents a tremendous opportunity to develop a hydroinformatics platform for monitoring water bodies," remarked Professor T Pradeep from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Madras. The scrub jungle within the MCC campus is habitat to approximately 90 spotted deer alongside porcupines, toddy cats, and bats.Meras within its eyes assist the college in monitoring the movements of wild animals on campus.