press release

Published: 13 March 2024

Made in Surrey: Robots flying kites to monitor greenhouse gas emissions

New devices that can monitor gas emissions – and which way the wind is blowing them – will be built at the University of Surrey, thanks to a £620,000 grant.

a computer generated image of a robot flying a helium kite on a landscape

The team will build new, lightweight wireless gas sensors. These will be attached to helium kites and flown by an autonomous robot. Researchers hope the new devices will be able to monitor emissions.

If the world is to reach net zero, we need to be able to check that emissions really are reducing.

Previous projects tried to use drones to monitor gas flux – but the quality of their measurements wasn't good, their flight time was too short, and airspace restrictions limited their use.

Our robot balloon towers, kitted out with sensors and built here at Surrey, should solve many of these challenges. Dr Robert Siddall, Lecturer in Robotics

The team will work with several local businesses. University spin-out company Surrey Sensors Ltd will build the sensors, while Hampshire's Allsopp Helikites Ltd will provide the helium balloons.

This complex project will combine a range of skills from across the University – from fluid dynamics to building robots, analysing data and sensing emissions.

The technology will be tested in a variety of locations – including Thames Water treatment works, the University’s land at Blackwell Farm Guildford, and rice paddies in Spain.

a schematic showing how the kites may be deployed

The UK water sector faces huge challenges in achieving net zero. One of the biggest issues is that wastewater treatment systems produce methane and nitrous oxide. These have a much greater warming potential than carbon dioxide.

We don't have an accurate and affordable way to monitor these emissions. Our project will create innovative tools for the industry to achieve net zero. Dr Bing Guo, Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Spanish rice paddy project will benefit from the remote sensing support of Mantle Labs Ltd, and Eurecat Centre Tecnològic, Spain.

Rice farming is one of the main methane emitters worldwide and farmers can access financial incentives for implementing emission reduction practices.

We are currently using satellite images to monitor whether these practices are being implemented around the world, and using simulation models to estimate the emission reductions achieved.

This project will allow us to take ground measurements of the actual emissions, which are very much needed to calibrate and verify our estimates. Dr Belen Marti-Cardona, Associate Professor (Reader) in Earth Observation and Hydrology

This is one of 13 projects nationwide to be funded by a £12m investment from UKRI's Natural Environment Research Council, Defra and Innovate UK.

The research will support UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 (climate action).

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Sustainability

Featured Academics

Dr Bing Guo

Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Dr Robert Siddall

Lecturer in Robotics

Dr Belen Marti-Cardona

Associate Professor (Reader) in Earth Observation and Hydrology

Dr Giovanni Iacobello

Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering Sciences

Dr David Birch

Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering; Head of Centre for Aerodynamics & Environmental Flow

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