We have often told you what our drones are capable of. As often as possible, we also try to show pictures. This should give you an impression of the practical applications of the drone.

This week, however, we want to show you other pictures!
We were allowed to film in Burger’s Zoo , in Arnhem! The pictures turned out indescribable and the whole day was a pure adventure for us. We were especially happy that we were allowed to film at Burger’s Zoo, as it is known for its large aquarium. And of course these are perfect conditions for us.

You can also watch the complete first part of our journey on YouTube.

But in this week’s blog we want to show you our ‘behind the scenes’ pictures.

Pictures on the coral reef

Our first stop was the coral reef. From the outside, of course, it’s clear that it’s a zoo. But the pictures are stunning. For safety, we attached extra foam to our cable so that it would float upright. This way we could ensure that our cable does not touch the corals.

Also, it took us a little while to balance the drone. Normally, we only operate in fresh water, where the drone floats neutrally. For salt water, however, the drone has to be made more difficult. Depending on the salt content, more or less weights have to be attached, but looking at the pictures, it was worth every effort.

 

Pictures from the ray tunnel

Our second destination was the ray tunnel. Fortunately, the drone was already balanced here, so we could start filming straight away.

 

Pictures from the Tropics

The last part of our journey took us to more tropical regions. In the ‘bush’ we had the pleasure of filming the manatees. This was more challenging than the other two tanks. The manatees were very skeptical of the drone and preferred to swim away. Nevertheless, we were able to get a few pictures of them. But in the end we focused on the fish so as not to stress the manatees unnecessarily.

In addition, our working space was very limited, as you can see.

 

After working in the tropics, we were allowed to clean our drone at the zoo’s ‘robot washing area’. Which was another first for us.

 

But despite initial difficulties, the day couldn’t have gone better for us. We gained so many impressions and collected many more ideas for future collaborations.

We would like to thank Burger’s Zoo once again for daring to test this with us! Of course, we checked with the keepers before entering each pool to see if the drone was allowed in the water. So that no animals are stressed or injured.

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What is a search and rescue team?

There are six different types of search and rescue teams (Lowland Rescue, Mountain Rescue, Cave Rescue, Urban Rescue, Combat Rescue, Maritime Rescue), who all follow the same goal: find and save people in need. However, especially in the maritime rescue sector this is not always an easy task. At first, the sight underwater is often cloudy, especially in the Netherlands and Germany. Secondly, there could always be flows in the water, which make it difficult for the rescue team to reach the victim.

A cooperation with underwater drones, can help to minimise the risk for divers and to maximise the efficiency of the search. In order to understand how H2o Drones can help the search and rescue teams best, one needs to understand how those teams operate.

A typical Maritime Search and Rescue Mission

A Search and Rescue team gets involved, after a person is announced missing. Mostly, a broader location is already mentioned, for example a lake. Consequently, a team of divers will be deployed to the area. However, the team will not just jump in the water to look for the missing person, before they divide the area in grids. Then, each grid will then be searched by a diver.

The division of grids, is used in order to ensure that all parts of the area are searched and to create a structure during the search. However, this method is also very time consuming and the team should work as fast as possible. After the victim is located, the diver will bring it to the surface or the shore, depending on the risk for the diver and the victim.

How can H2O Drones support those missions?

H2O Drones that not have the entitlement to replace current diving teams. The diving teams and the human contact is and will always be crucial for the recovery of victims. However, there is room for improvement with regards to time and efficiency, which can be filled by the cooperation with our drones.

A drone, is ready for use within 5 minutes, which is faster than a team of divers. Further, the use of drones makes the division in grids redundant. The GPS system of the drone, helps to keep an overview of the parts that were already searched and parts that still needs to be searched. Again, this saves time which can decided over life and dead.

Besides the time factors, drones can help with he sight in cloudy waters. While divers, only have their eyes and sometimes a flash light, this is often not enough to see clearly. Our drones are equipped with a sonar system, which allows the drone to identify objects even in cloudy and unclear water.

Lastly, our drones are not only there to help the victims but also ensure a safe working environment for the divers. Every time, a diver jumps into the water to look for a victim, the conditions that wait for him are unclear. This could lead to dangerous situations for the diver, where he can get caught or get stuck on the mission. Above all, this must be avoided. H2O Drones, helps with that! We can send our drone before the diver, to find a save way for the diver, so he can reach the victim safe and quick.

Currently, we are already working together with Signi in the Netherlands, to support their dog rescue team with our drones. In our blog , you can read more about our cooperation with them and how our drones help to make rescue missions safer and more efficient.

Continue reading “Maritime Rescue – a bit more safety with H2O Drones”

This year H2O Drones celebrates its second birthday! Even though it’s not really old, we are still proud of what we have already achieved!

Slowly we feel that we are a real company and that we are getting closer to our goals. And most importantly, H2O Drones is a name that is slowly gaining recognition.

The Beginning

But before we tell you where we are now, let’s go back to the beginning.

Two years ago everything started slowly. After 30 years of experience in hydraulic engineering, our CEO, Karst Beens, decided to sell his former company and specialize in underwater drones. The reason for this is that underwater drones are versatile and solve many problems that arise in hydraulic engineering, but unfortunately they are not yet known. Here, the main concern is the safety of the divers! Our drones offer more advantages than safety, but you can read more about that in our other blog.

After the decision was made to specialize in ROVs (remote-operated vehicle), the construction started slowly. The first step was to find the right drone. At that time, there were already several models on the market, but they differed greatly in quality. After a long period of testing and trial and error, the decision was made to go with DeepTrekker. DeepTrekker comes originally from Canada, but especially the sonar device has convinced. Because especially in the German and Dutch waters, you have no visibility without sonar.

The cooperation with DeepTrekker went relatively quickly and from then on, more momentum came into the process, with a small team but high motivation. The team itself consisted at that time of two people who shared the inspections and office work. Today we are with 7 people.

In the beginning, we were of course only in the Netherlands because of our location. Here we quickly started to work together with the Dutch Ministry of Hydraulic Engineering and Infrastructure. The results of a test run were very convincing! And so word of our product spread quickly and we started working with various cities. We then found our first case in Germany in Cologne, at Shell. From then on, it went steadily and we were able to find more customers in both countries. In the beginning, it was not important for us to make a lot of money or to sell a lot of drones. We set out to change the way we work and, above all, to improve it.

H2O Drones Today

As already mentioned, our team has grown. In the beginning we started with 2 people, to do our inspections. Now we have two permanent inspectors operating in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. There is not much time left for office work. Therefore, our team has grown especially in the administrative area. In addition, we have a new sales and marketing team and our own media team. But this is only our permanent team. Since we have to do inspections in three countries with two people, we sometimes need extra support. Most of the time we manage without, because the German and Belgian market is growing slowly, but just in case we still have freelancers available. But also in the office we always have interns, who we support during their studies. There is also always the chance to be taken on, our sales and marketing managers have both started as interns in the company. For us it is important that employees grow with the company and our team is a colorful mix of young and old, which makes the exchange of information interesting for both sides. (We also always have room for interested interns!).

Our sales and marketing team operates in Germany and the Netherlands and is mainly concerned with creating awareness for our products and our work. We work on this mainly through LinkedIn and other social media channels. All with our goals in mind.

But what those goals are, we’ll tell you next week!

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The Netherlands are increasingly affected by high water, as has been noticeable recently. In last week’s blog you can read how this is happening and some options are given to counter the influence of climate change. This week we look at the use of technology (drones) to support research and especially to help prepare the Netherlands for the changes that are needed to keep the country above water!

The Deltaprogramma:

The Deltaprogramma van Rijkswaterstaat

has several components, the most important of which is to keep the Netherlands safe in the future.

This is particularly true in the face of a changing climate. Simply put: climate change can cause more extreme weather conditions. As a result, there may suddenly be much more rainfall, which can cause rivers to flood. To prevent this, a lot of work is being done to strengthen and raise the height of the dikes. These measures are in place to prevent the inland areas from flooding.

Consequence & research cities

Partly due to increased water pressure on quays, it is important to inspect the quay walls on a regular basis. This allows the walls to be surveyed and problems due to overdue maintenance to be prevented. In Amsterdam, for example, this has not been done for too long, leaving many quays and bridges in critical condition.
To better map these, diving teams and underwater drones are generally used.

In basic terms, they examine the condition of piles, quay walls and other assets underwater. By examining their condition, maintenance can be scheduled or a quay can be declared provisionally safe.
ROVs can be used to inspect unsafe areas for divers, such as very tight spaces or a section of quay where there is usually a lot of shipping. In such places it is not pleasant or safe to dive, so it is better to use a machine.

 

Can drones save the Netherlands?

To answer this question, it is important to know what drones can do and what they can be used for. Underwater drones are by default equipped with a good camera, which can create the same visibility under the water line as a diver. So in terms of inspection, the view is the same…. or is it?

Our Revolution uses a clever integration of a sonar system from Blueprint Subsea that allows visibility in almost all conditions! And this is not limited to the normal visibility (of 1-3 meters maximum) but can see up to 60 meters ahead. This can not only guarantee itself in turbid water, but can also help to make inspections smoother and faster.

In addition, ROVs are good for many other things. For example, drones make it much easier to get images above water. A diver has to carry a camera separately to take pictures, but with a drone this image is sent live to the controller and possibly a monitor. This especially provides a lot of security during inspections; now more eyes can watch an inspection at the same time and decisions can be made on the spot. Also, these images, which are automatically stored, are easy to analyze.

 

In what situations can drones help?

In the Netherlands, underwater drones are, in principle, an added value throughout the country. Looking at inland waterways, such as rivers and all the assets in them, there are already dozens of possibilities. Some examples of different possibilities that can be inspected with a drone:

• Sheet piling
• Locks
• Various soil objects
• Bridges

And so there are many more options whose state of service needs to be clearly visualized on a regular basis. The impact of malfunctioning differs per asset or option, but in any case it often has major consequences. Often financially, but it doesn’t always stop there.

Particularly in urban areas, the consequences of poorly maintained assets can have a major impact. For example, with the collapse of quays and bridges as a possible consequence.

Protection of the city centers

The vast majority of the Dutch population lives in cities. The cities must therefore be well protected against water and flooding. In general, the Netherlands is well protected against rain. Through different types of sewer systems, it is possible to quickly drain rainwater. Partly by keeping (clean) rainwater and used water separate, water can be disposed of more quickly because not all of it needs to be purified. In this way urban flooding can be prevented quickly.

Rainwater that has been collected can be immediately drained into a river through sewer systems (h.w.a. pipes). The disadvantage of this, however, is that the water returns to the river very quickly, which creates a risk of flooding. There is also a lot of pressure on the sewer systems because a lot of water runs through them in a short period of time.

In order to properly determine the state of service, most sewers can be inspected using a drone. We already have a lot of experience with this ourselves, by working together with various municipalities. Here we have been hired to carry out baseline measurements, map old sewer systems, detect blockages and look for cracks and fractures. This way it is always clear what the state of a sewer is and when actions need to be planned.

 

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These were far from all the possibilities with drones and ROVs in the Netherlands! Would you like to know if another possibility also applies to you? Then get in touch with us.

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In our previous blog we talked about the Netherlands and its dealings with water. This week we are talking about the impact of climate change on water and specifically how to deal with it.

Rising sea level

We start here with the rising sea level. This is (perhaps) the biggest problem for the Netherlands. But how is it actually possible that the sea level is rising?

To keep it simple, the main cause is the warming of the earth. This causes the ice caps to melt and that means that the sea level is rising worldwide. This mostly involves the melting of glaciers and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The result: sea levels could rise between 26 and 82 centimeters over the next 100 years.

 

Source: KNMI

To bring the above information into focus, below is a picture of the Netherlands if the sea level rises 180 centimeters. If it were to come to that, in principle, half the Netherlands would be underwater.

Rivers need more space

But not only is there a rise in sea level, rivers also have an increase in water in the coming years. Due to the melting of the glaciers (at the beginning of the Rhine, for example), there is more and more water in the river. There is also more rainfall, especially in the winter, which also ends up in the river through various routes.

It must also be taken into account that a river flows into the sea and thus the sea level rises. With high water in the rivers, the outlet of a river can cause a problem if the sea level also rises significantly. And the Netherlands is a river delta of the Rhine and Meuse rivers, which makes the situation even more difficult.

The above means that the pressure on the dikes around the rivers will increase and water will have to be retained more often because it can no longer be discharged all at once.

Petrification of the Netherlands

There is also something else at play for the Netherlands: petrification. This is not climate change but it does contribute to the problem. In short, all greenery, such as grass and trees, absorbs water. But paving, asphalt, et cetera do not. Logical, but after the above story about more rainwater and higher water levels in rivers, it’s still not convenient.

Not only do stones and asphalt not absorb water, it also makes rainwater runoff more difficult. For example, via pieces of greenery, rainwater returns to the river a lot less quickly compared to drains where the rainwater is already in the river within a day.

Finally, petrification helps to warm the earth, because the absorption capacity for heat increases. In this way, built-up areas are always at the expense of pieces of nature. So heat stays in cities much better and as a result the overall temperature rises. This ultimately has an effect on overall climate change as well.

 

Influence of foreign countries

Not all causes begin with the Netherlands. For example, there is also petrification in Germany. As a result, a larger wave of water comes to the Netherlands during large rainfalls. In Germany, too, there is large-scale petrification. So, in short, the Rhine has a lot less potential in Germany, but it does end up in the Netherlands.

The same applies to the Meuse, where the risk of flooding is perhaps even greater than for the Rhine. This river flows to the Netherlands via France and Belgium. Due to a general low water level in the Meuse, high water is a serious situation, but one which will become increasingly common in the time to come.

How can we counteract these changes?

Basically, there are two ways to prevent these effects:

• Address the causes;
• Preparing and protecting the Netherlands against the consequences.

Starting with tackling the causes and thus trying to prevent consequences:

For example, the Netherlands can pay attention to the emission of greenhouse gases, to reduce (slow down) global warming;
More green areas in the Netherlands, to absorb more water and more CO2.

The Netherlands can’t do much about climate change on a large scale, but by taking the initiative it doesn’t have to get worse. The Netherlands suffers from the major consequences of climate change, so we must start combating climate change ourselves.

Protect the Netherlands against the consequences of climate change.

In the coming years, the Netherlands will have to invest heavily in protecting the inland areas against high water. Coming from the sea, river or from the air, water enters the country anyway. Below are a number of examples of measures that the Netherlands can take to better protect itself:

• Reinforcing dikes on the coast.
• Reinforce the dikes around the rivers.
• More (green) water storage places to hold excess water. See example: municipality of Arnhem!

More vegetation in cities to drain water more slowly.

These measures can all be implemented to prevent flooding. But how this can best be done and when which measure is exactly needed, we leave to the experts! However, we are happy to lend a hand in researching climate and pressure on cities. How do we do this? Read about it in the next blog!

 

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The Netherlands has been a true water country for a long time. Beginning with the influence of the Romans, knowledge and skill entered the Netherlands. They already had knowledge of building bridges and aqueducts. Years later, the Netherlands was a source of prosperity due to the growing shipping industry. This was particularly noticeable in the Golden Age, when the Netherlands’ prosperity and power grew considerably. Besides the shipping industry, other constructions were also built long ago, such as the Afsluitdijk and the North Sea Canal. In fact, even the king has a specialisation in water management. Partly because of this, the Netherlands is on the map as a real water country. The country that has been fighting the water for centuries and can even expand the land on the water.

 

Water-related assets in the offshore

There are many assets in the offshore. Most of these assets are used to protect large inland areas. These are mainly dams and dikes. All coastal areas are protected by dikes, from Zeeland to Delfzijl. There are also large land reclamation areas where the Netherlands can grow a little larger every day. By dumping a lot of sand in a specific place, land slowly rises above the water. This is a solution for lack of space, for example for housing or creating a port. The image below shows how the Netherlands has been expanding for centuries, at the expense of water!

But in addition to land reclamation, the Netherlands is also very busy with sustainable energy. For example, by placing many wind farms in the North Sea, the windmills are largely out of sight, catch a lot of wind and provide the most benefit to everyone. Many bridges are in the water in Zeeland, where large peninsulas are connected by the longest bridge in the Netherlands!

Rivers and the work involved:

For centuries, the Netherlands has been known for its shipping industry. Although this looked very different in the Golden Age than it does today, the Netherlands is still one of the gateways to Europe. For example, the Rhine is the busiest inland shipping route in all of Europe, and about two-thirds of all goods are transported on this river. To make all this possible, many assets are needed. To start with, the rivers must not bend too much (meander), which is not practical for the shipping industry because they have to travel a distance that is up to twice as long. This immediately brings with it a practical disadvantage. The water flowing through the Rhine does not change, but it travels a shorter distance. This means that the water level is higher than in a freely meandering river. Therefore, the river must be well enclosed between dykes and dams, so that it cannot flood. Furthermore, to ensure that all shipping can pass through the river properly, locks are needed to equalise the differences in water levels and to keep a river accessible at all times. By means of locks and dams, this can be done in a convenient way, and the Netherlands is the gateway to the rest of Europe. All this is well reflected in the port of Rotterdam, where the Maashaven is a large piece of new land reclamation area. This port is in fact one of the largest in Europe, partly due to the outcome of the Rhine. Here, people are also constantly working on the fight against water, and especially working with water.

Watermanagement in the cities

Apart from the rivers themselves, a lot of water can be found in cities. A lot of water is transported, especially through pipes such as sewers or pipelines for drinking water. This water either comes out of the tap for the Dutch people or from water treatment plants. After a lot of rainfall, the pipes can be completely full and there is a risk of flooding. Because of this, the drainage of water must always be in good order, and the Netherlands is full of pipes. Earlier this year, we have already seen what large amounts of water can cause, and especially what is needed to make this work. Sewers, dams, dikes, flood plains and sluices were all deployed to minimise the impact on the Dutch population.

Influence abroad

Because of all the developments that the Netherlands has made in the field of water, we are also a great example for other countries. For example, many Dutch experts are regularly asked to help with the construction of dams or land reclamation. The Netherlands can be used as a knowledge centre for this, thanks to the large amount of experience accumulated over the years. From Rijkswaterstaat (Ministery of Dutch waterways) and the top sector water (hydraulic engineering) a lot of information can be shared with foreign countries, or Dutch companies can be hired.

The Dutch and Dutch companies are famous in the hydraulic engineering sector, among others. So famous, in fact, that our small country has put itself on the world map. Abroad, we are often known as Holland, the Land of Water.

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We have mentioned from time to time that we work with Shell in Germany. For these orders, we have to visit the refinery, of course. But not only for Shell, we also have to visit different refineries again and again for other customers. These visits are always similar, but it’s still exciting every time.

What is a refinery?

Before we explain what a day at a refinery is like, let’s explain what a refinery is.

In short, a refinery processes natural products into other high-value products. In the case of Shell or BP, this is mainly crude oil, which is processed into fuel or heating oil.

Flammable, toxic and corrosive substances are often used in this process. That is why preparation before a visit to the refinery is important. Not everyone is allowed to enter the site, and even on the site itself, not everywhere is free access.

The preparation

In order to be admitted to the grounds, a security check must be completed beforehand. This takes place online.

During the safety check, various videos of safety instructions are played. Afterwards, a short test must be taken in which the knowledge from the videos is tested. At the end, those who complete the safety check receive a certificate that allows them to enter the refinery.

But not only the certificate is a prerequisite for entry, a list of all items that are carried is also required. It is important to include the serial number of electronic equipment.

If all these requirements are fulfilled, the site may be entered. But this was not the last security precaution. Safety clothing must also be worn throughout the site.

The safety clothing consists of: Jacket, shoes and trousers, must be fireproof.

In addition, a helmet, gloves and safety goggles must always be worn on the premises.

The use on the site

Once all preparations have been passed, the grounds may be entered. There are many areas on the premises that are not open to everyone, not even to pass through. Therefore, it is important to follow the instructions of the caregiver or the entrance staff.

Once you arrive on the scene, everything is the same as in other operations.

With our drones, we can inspect different things at a refinery. For Shell, for example, we inspect and clean pipes. For this, we use our suction robot, which sucks sand from the bottom of the pipe. This means that the pipe no longer has to be left dry.

We also inspected various water tanks on the BP site for a wastewater company. More information on the inspection of (waste) water tanks can also be found in one of our older blogs.

A refinery offers limitless possibilities for us and we are still in the early stages of exploring them.

 

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