Ecologists in Germany are deploying camera-equipped Pi Zero Ws off the coast of Norway to discover more about coral activity. Dr Autun Purser works in the Deep Sea Ecology and Technology group of the Alfred Wegener Institute. The group has a keen interest in cold-water corals, which are found in most European seas.
“In the last three decades, we’ve started to understand these can form reefs whenever conditions are suitable for growth,” explains Autun. “During our cruise in the Skagerrak, we intended to map corals and see when, and under what conditions, they did most feeding.”
Feeding time
Their aim was to continue the development of “cheap camera systems which can be used for a range of applications in the deep sea, down to depths of at least 6000 metres. We investigated the use of Pi Zero W computers and [Raspberry Pi Camera Modules] to record video snippets of both the seafloor and any scientific devices that we place underwater, and we found the small size of the computers to be of great benefit to us.”
The Pi Zero Ws and cameras are placed in strong, waterproof pressure containers, and powered by Li-ion batteries that can withstand the cold deep ocean conditions. “The WiFi connectivity allowed us to set up a router on deck to both initiate our cameras and, on retrieval from the sea-floor, download our collected images without having to reopen the pressure housings,” reveals Autun.
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 8.1.0 and 8.2.0-beta0 out and so much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
Adafruit IoT Monthly — AI Teddybear, Designing Accessible IoT Products, and more!
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!