Russia goes all-in on buzzwords, builds solar-powered blockchain drone boat

By Luke Dormehl Updated November 30, 2018

Image used with permission by copyright holder

A great way of garnering attention (and, hopefully, success) for yourself as an entrepreneur is to latch onto whatever happens to be on the cutting edge of technology at that particular moment. Drones? Sure. Blockchain? You bet. The Internet of Things? Frankly, you’d be silly not to. But even with this behavior being standard practice, few buzzword bingo cards are quite so complete as that of a new Russian project involving a solar-powered drone boat that takes smart sensor readings and saves them to the blockchain.

To be fair, the so-called “Drone on the Volga” project actually promises to do some good. The work of companies Airalab and Smart IoT Distributions, the drone boat takes continuous water readings in the Kuybyshev Reservoir, the largest water reservoir in Eurasia, which is located in the Volga river. This data is then made available through the Ethereum blockchain, along with parameters such as exactly where the drone boat was at the time the readings were taken.

By analyzing the data, third-party companies can then work to find the source of pollution — hopefully to do something about it. Since Russia holds approximately one-fifth of the world’s freshwater, this is a mission that should be of interest to everyone.

“Imagine hundreds of such robots floating autonomously on a river without the need for human support,” Alisher Khassanov, chief engineer at Airalab, told Digital Trends. “Of course, to make this happen, they need an autonomous power source. These are solar photovoltaic panels. Such robots could be a source of a continuous stream of data on river pollution, protected by the blockchain.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve written about robot projects which aim to autonomously take water readings to help fight pollution. One of the most interesting of these is the flock of robot swans which patrol the reservoirs in Singapore, taking water quality measurements as they do. This data is made available in real time over the cloud to experts from water management agencies, who can then ensure that water quality problems are addressed quickly.

Hopefully, as the dream of smart cities gains momentum, projects like this will only become more commonplace. After all, if there’s one thing we can’t really do without, it’s clean water.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…

Emerging Tech

This bracelet helps you fall asleep faster and sleep longer

woman-in-bed-wearing-twilight-apollo-on-ankle

This content was produced in partnership with Apollo Neuroscience.
Have you been struggling to get the recommended seven hours of sleep? It's always frustrating when you get in bed at a reasonable time, then toss and turn for a hours before you actually sleep. The quality of that sleep is important too. If you're waking up multiple times during the night, you're likely not getting the quality REM cycle sleep that truly rejuvenates your body. If traditional remedies like herbal teas and noise machines just aren't helping, maybe it's time to try a modern solution. Enter the Apollo wearable.

Now we understand being a little skeptical. How can a bracelet on your wrist or ankle affect your sleep patterns? Certainly the answer to a better night's sleep can't be so simple. We considered these same things when we first heard of it. We'll dive deeper into the science behind the Apollo wearable, but suffice it to say that many people have experienced deeper, uninterrupted sleep while wearing one.
A non-conventional approach to better sleep

Deals

The 11 best Father’s Day deals that you can get for Sunday

Data from a workout showing on the screen of the Apple Watch Series 8.

Father's Day is fast approaching and there's still time to buy your beloved Dad a sweet new device to show him how much you love him. That's why we've rounded up the ten best Father's Day tech deals going on right now. There's something for most budgets here, including if you're able to spend a lot on your loved one. Read on while we take you through the highlights and remember to order fast so you don't miss out on the big day.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 -- $200, was $230

While it's the Plus version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 that features in our look at the best tablets, the standard variety is still worth checking out. Saving your Dad the need to dig out their laptop or squint at a small phone screen, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers a large 10.5-inch LCD display and all the useful features you would expect. 128GB of storage means plenty of room for all your Dad's favorite apps as well as games too. A long-lasting battery and fast charging save him the need for a power source too often too.

Deals

The Apollo wearable is proven to help you sleep better (and it’s on sale)

Apollo wearable worn during sleep in bed.

This content was produced in partnership with Apollo Neuro.
Stress, anxiety, and insomnia are all concerning things that just about everyone struggles with at one time or another. Maybe you can sleep, fending off insomnia, but you lack quality sleep and don’t feel rested in the morning. Or, maybe when it’s time to kick back and relax, you just can’t find a way to do so. There are many solutions for these issues, some work, and others don’t, but one unlikely area of support can be found in a modern, smart wearable.

Medicine is the obvious choice, but not everyone prefers to go that route. There is an answer in modern technology or rather a modern wearable device. One such device is the Apollo wearable, which improves sleep and stress relief via touch therapy. According to Apollo Neuro, the company behind the device, which is worn on your ankle, wrist or clipped to your clothing, it sends out waves of vibrations to help your body relax and reduce feelings of stress. It's an interesting new approach to a common problem that has typically been resolved via medicine, therapy, or other more invasive and time-consuming techniques. The way it utilizes those vibrations, uniquely placed and administered, to create a sense of peace, makes us ask, can it really cure what ails us? We’ll dig a little deeper into how it achieves what it does and what methods it’s using to make you feel better.