The Netherlands has numerous small waterways which serve to keep the ground dry. High concentrations of nutrients (Eutrophication) in these waterways can lead to rapid growth of Azolla and Lemna. This in turn leads to lack of oxygen in the water, which in turn leads to dying fish and putrid smell.
Removing Lemna is a labour-intensive process, which makes removal expensive. To improve the quality of Dutch waterways we are developing autonomous drones that automatically scoop up plants from the surface, clearing out the waterways easily and at low cost.
