MOSCOW, October 6Russian students have developed a drifting balloon for analyzing soil and searching for minerals using detailed photographs, the press service of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) said.
«» TUSUR students tested a drifting balloon, with which it will be possible to take detailed photographs to search for mineral deposits and monitor agricultural fields. The solution was developed within the framework of the federal project «University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform,» the message says.
The drifting balloon is designed for a wide range of tasks, including, for example, providing cellular communications or launching satellites. However, at the current stage, the team is focusing on filming. Using an aerostat, you can examine the soil, search for deposits, and monitor the condition of agricultural fields to understand when to harvest and whether treatment is required. This significantly saves costs for resource extraction and agricultural companies, the press service clarifies.
The developers note that the advantage of a drifting balloon is that it can be at an altitude of up to 40 kilometers (this is more than that of a UAV), maintain this altitude and work along a given route, unlike non-drifting balloons, who fly wherever the wind takes them. This effect was achieved through the use of air currents at different heights.
The control is carried out using the «aeroballast» technology developed by students. Essentially, this is an additional shell in which, instead of helium, there is ordinary air, the density of which is changed by a compressor to change the weight of the system. Accordingly, when controlling the balloon, you can change the density of the air in it. This will change the mass and altitude of the flight.
«Satellite images are a very promising direction. At the same time, ordinary images taken by satellites located at an altitude of 600 kilometers are poorly detailed. An alternative is images from a UAV, but this is very expensive. The uniqueness of our development is that through such a balloon you can take detailed images of a large area for a low price,” said project leader Nikita Cheban.