드론은 클로즈업, 고해상도 이미징 및 데이터 수집 기능을 제공하여 생물 다양성 연구에 혁명을 일으킬 예정입니다.

To have a healthy ecosystem, we need biodiversity, as it supports all life on Earth, including humans. Without a variety of microorganisms, plants, and animals, we simply can't have a balanced environment.

To maintain a healthy ecosystem, we need biodiversity, as it supports all life on Earth, including humans. Without a variety of microorganisms, plants, and animals, we simply can't have a balanced environment.

Biodiversity provides ecosystem services such as clean air, freshwater, and flood management, which are crucial to human well-being. It also supports food security, helps in carbon sequestration, detoxifies and decomposes waste, enhances resilience in organisms, and helps regulate disease. The genes in plants and animals are even used to develop medicines and pharmaceuticals.

So, it's clear that we need a better understanding of biodiversity. A powerful tool to study biodiversity in forests and tree canopies is the analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA). However, collecting the samples of eDNA isn't easy in such high and complex environments.

Traditionally, labor-intensive approaches like tree rolling or surface swabbing have been used to achieve the task. Relying on satellite imagery or using cranes to study regions not only required significant efforts to reach sufficient coverage but also lacked precision.

But not anymore. Drones are all set to transform the situation by providing close-up, high-resolution imaging and data collection capabilities.

A new study proposed using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to explore biodiversity in treetops, specifically in remote and inaccessible areas. This means drones will perform the job safely without requiring people to go to hard-to-reach areas like tropical rainforests to collect genetic material from treetops while helping us get a deeper understanding of biodiversity.

Gathering eDNA Using Drones

eDNA is found in biological substances such as mucus, feces, and dead skin cells and has been used to examine biodiversity for several decades now. Used to catalog and monitor biodiversity, the DNA traces help researchers determine which species are present in a particular area.

Early last year, scientists from ETH Zurich research institute used this technique to find out just which species use forest canopy to build their homes.

To build this special drone that has the ability to gather samples on tree branches on its own, researchers at ETH Zurich along with those from the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL partnered with the company SPYGEN.

The aircraft was installed with adhesive strips on the bottom of it. The UAV was gently brought down on branches and once generic material was transferred from branches to these adhesives, it was then analyzed.

But ranches vary in their thickness and elasticity. And having the aircraft approach a branch and remain stable to take samples successfully proved to be a big challenge for the researchers.

“Landing on branches requires complex control.”

– Stefano Mintchev, Professor of Environmental Robotics at ETH Zurich and WSL at the time

So, the team fitted the drone with a force-sensing cage, which allowed the aircraft to measure the flexibility of the branch and use that to move. The device was then tested on seven tree species, and the samples were found to contain DNA from 21 distinct groups of organisms, including birds, insects, and mammals.

While this is an easier, faster, and safer alternative to sending biologists high up into the treetops, even this method isn't completely risk-free.

When using the drone, there is a risk of not only damaging the tree but also the drone itself in case there's an unintentional hard collision. Then, there's the limitation of gathering samples only from branches on which the drone lands. So, while the results have been “encouraging,” the drone had to improve.

An Improved System to Study Biodiversity

Now, scientists from ETH Zurich have created a novel, custom-designed robotic system. This new approach for UAVs to collect eDNA within tree canopies uses a surface swabbing technique.

Led by Steffen Kirchgeorg, a robotics PhD student at ETH Zurich, the study developed a sampling system with a flat fabric probe. The piece of fleece cloth is actually cut into a circle, much like how a coffee filter is shaped, and attached with fiberglass strips to provide structure.

The probe is moved down on a tether from a lifting gear mounted on the quadcopter's underside. This way, the drone is kept out of the vegetation.

The drone was also equipped with a sensor that prevents the tether of the probe from tangling on branches. The researchers programmed the system to shift position automatically when detecting an impact.

작동 방식은 UAV가 나무 꼭대기 위로 안전하게 호버링하는 것입니다. 그런 다음 탐침을 잎과 가지에 닿는 잎 사이로 내려갑니다. 그리고 eDNA가 수집되면 이후에 내용을 분석하기 위해 프로브를 제거할 수 있습니다.

이 실험은 동남아시아의 열대우림에서 수행되었으며, Kirchgeorg와 동료들은 탑재된 카메라의 라이브 피드를 통해 드론을 원격으로 조종했습니다. 드론은 숲속 캐노피에서 샘플 10개를 수집하기 위해 시야 밖으로 날아갔습니다.

새로운 접근법의 효과는 XPRIZE Rainforest 준결승에서 입증되었으며, 여기서 팀은 이들로부터 152종의 eDNA를 발견했다고 밝혔습니다

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