Development of a dolphin hormone sample collection device for UAS

Abstract

Marine biologists are able to quantify the stress in dolphins through analysis of hormones in mucus samples released from the blowhole while breathing. This method provides a noninvasive approach compared to current methods used on wild dolphins to collect information on their stress levels. To capture the samples, a developed collection mechanism using Petri dishes attached to an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) can fly through the blow field of the dolphin's expelled breath. Analysis of the flow into the dish was performed with Particle Image Velocimetry and flow visualization. The resulting data were used to indicate key areas of flow across the Petri dish indicating both clean and separation areas. In preparation for UAS trials, the collection device is connected to the vehicle for flight-testing to measure significant changes in control, lift, and drag while the Petri dishes open and close. For the UAS trials, the system is flown through the "breath'' of a simulator to emulate the flow rate of a dolphin's breath in a time frame of 0.26-0.31 seconds. The resulting data is used to provide validation of the systems capability for in flight sample collection.