Cleaning Rivers,Reading Water.
Hydrone is an underwater ROV that collects river plastic waste and transmits water quality data in real-time, built from scratch by a high school student team.
One ROV, Three Missions
01 —COLLECT WASTE
Passively collects plastic waste from the water surface on every journey without additional motors.
02 —FILTER WATER
Filters water through two stages to separate sediment down to microplastics measuring 0.1 μm.
03 —MONITOR WATER
Monitors water quality in real-time through pH, TDS, turbidity, and temperature sensors.
HYDRONE ROV
Dive. Collect. Protect.
Underwater · Autonomous · Real-time Monitoring
An integrated water cleaning system handling both macroplastic and microplastic simultaneously, with real-time water quality monitoring.
- Capture macroplastic with passive net
- Filter microplastics down to 5 microns
- Automatic adaptive buoyancy system
- 6-direction movement with pivot thrusters
- Real-time water quality monitoring
- Dual mode: autonomous and manual
- Underwater camera + LED lighting
- Web dashboard + cloud data storage
How Hydrone Operates?
From river deployment to data storage — six stages of Hydrone operation.
System Initialization
ESP32 + Arduino Mega activates all components: sensor suite (pH, TDS, turbidity, temp), thruster ESCs, relay module, and 20m tether connection to the surface operator.
Deploy & Depth Control
ROV is lowered into the river. Active ballast system — water pump + compressor + solenoid valve — controls depth precisely. 2× vertical thrusters maintain position in the water column.
Navigate & Collect Debris
Operator steers Hydrone via tether. 4 thrusters (2 horizontal differential + 2 vertical 75°) navigate to polluted areas. Passive net opens automatically as ROV advances — capturing macroplastic without extra motors.
Microplastic Filtration
DC bilge pump draws water through 2 filter stages: Stage 1 pre-filter 20–50 µm (sediment/silt) and Stage 2 final filter 0.1 µm (microplastic). Particles collected in a removable transparent container.
Monitor & Transmit Data
Sensors record data every 2.5 seconds. ESP32 transmits to Firebase Realtime Database via tether. The web dashboard displays pH, TDS, turbidity, temperature, and depth live — with sparklines and status alerts.
Operation Complete
Operator closes the net via servo latch from the dashboard. ROV ascends using ballast + vertical thrusters. All operation data is saved to history and can be exported to Excel (CSV) for further analysis.
From the River, For the River
Every year, millions of tons of plastic flow into the ocean, mostly through rivers. We believe that addressing plastic waste at the source from the river itself allows us to prevent the impact before it reaches the sea.
Hydrone is an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) designed to help capture plastic waste in rivers while monitoring water conditions in real time. Controlled by an operator from the surface via tether, equipped with a camera for underwater navigation and monitoring.
Built using 3D-printed PETG and off-the-shelf sensors, developed through multiple design iterations not just as a prototype, but as a scalable solution deployable across rivers and communities, opening collaboration opportunities with local governments.
Remotely Operated Vehicle for river operations.
Monitor water conditions in real time.
Helps capture plastic waste in rivers.
Monitors pH, TDS, turbidity, and temperature.
Hydrone Field Operation Documentation.
Controlled from the Surface
Operators monitor the camera, sensor data, system status, and control Hydrone movement directly through the Control Center — using a tether and live camera feed from the ESP32-CAM.
Why Does HYDRONE Exist?
Indonesian Waters Free from Plastic Waste and Microplastics
We believe every river, lake, and coastal water in Indonesia deserves to be free from plastic threats that destroy ecosystems and endanger human health.
- Clean macroplastic waste from water bodies before they fragment into microplastics.
- Filter microplastics down to 5 microns already dispersed throughout the water column.
- Generate real-time water quality data to support environmental research and policy.
- Develop affordable water cleaning technology that can be widely deployed.
- Contribute to SDG 6, 12, and 14 through data-driven technological innovation.
Five Minds Behind Hydrone
High school students from Hydrone building a river cleaning solution from scratch.
Together building clean water solutions for Indonesia.
At a Glance
Have questions or want to collaborate?
The Hydrone team is ready to discuss ROV tech and water monitoring.