The League to Save Lake Tahoe is working with ECO-CLEAN Solutions and the Tahoe Keys Marina to introduce an aquatic robot, the PixieDrone, that glides across the surface, removing water-borne debris and aquatic weeds, according to a press release.
The PixieDrone is an electric, autonomous and programmable, motorized skimmer. As it moves through the water, the robot captures debris inside its open mouth, according to a press release. Using on-board Lidar technology (light detection and ranging), the PixieDrone avoids obstacles and adjusts its course in real time, allowing it to navigate between docks, pilings and boat slips as it cleans along a pre-mapped route.
The Tahoe Keys Marina is almost entirely infested with aquatic invasive plants. As boats leave the marina, plants are carried into the lake, threatening to start new infestations when they settle to the bottom and resprout. The PixieDrone will corral, collect and remove the harmful weeds, to prevent spreading. It can also clean up gas spills and be fitted with scientific equipment to assess water quality. The PixieDrone is currently being tested in the Tahoe Keys Marina where data is being collected and operations perfected for potential future use in other parts of Tahoe. | keeptahoeblue.org/pixie
