Taking the plunge: UCL East researchers test underwater robot at the London Aquatics Centre

Last week, a small robot took a big swim at the London Aquatics Centre. Researchers from UCL East brought the BlueROV2, an underwater robot equipped with cameras and sensors, into the Olympic pool to test how well it could navigate, capture images, and collect environmental data beneath the surface. 

This test swim marks the first step in an ambitious new pilot project planned to take place on London’s River Lea, combining expertise from robotics, freshwater ecology, and spatial analytics to explore how autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can monitor river health in real time. 

Diving into river health 

The long-term goal of the project is to build a physics- and data-driven digital twin of the river that ingests real-time measurements from underwater robots and fixed sensors. These will then be assimilated into hydrodynamic and ecological models which deliver continuous estimates and short-term forecasts of the state of the ecosystem; including pollution loads, submerged vegetation biomass, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, nutrient fluxes, and key biotic indicators.  

By attaching low-cost water-quality sensors and RGB cameras, the team also hopes to produce accurate 3D maps of underwater environments, offering a new, high-resolution picture of how pollution and climate change are affecting aquatic ecosystems. 

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“Today we are testing an underwater drone,” said Dr Izzy Bishop, Lecturer in Ecology at UCL. “The long-term goal here is to deploy it in a river, attach sensors to it, and use it to detect pollution. Eventually, if we can collect water chemistry, we should be able to get a really good idea of how pollution is impacting UK rivers.” 

The first test swim 

The BlueROV2 is a remotely operated underwater vehicle developed by Blue Robotics. Compact yet powerful, it can dive up to 100 metres, carry scientific instruments, and send real-time video and data to researchers on the surface.   

At the Aquatics Centre, the UCL East team performed the robot’s first teleoperation test, using a joystick to steer it through the pool while recording data from its onboard sensors. 

““The idea was to control the robot with a joystick and test all its sensors,” explained Dr Valerio Mondugno, Associate Lecturer in Robotics and Machine Learning. “We used a simultaneous localisation and mapping algorithm (or SLAM) to see if the robot could localise itself and build a 3D map of the environment. It was a successful test because it helped us understand what we need to improve before we move to the river.” 

The London Aquatics Centre provided an ideal controlled environment for the test, and is an example of how UCL East continues to collaborate with its partners across the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to turbocharge innovation. These local partnerships are a hallmark of UCL East’s approach: connecting world-class research to the surrounding community and infrastructure in east London. 

Challenges beneath the surface 

Working underwater brings unique technical challenges, which research assistant, Michael Ziegltrum helped put into context:

““There’s a lot of different things under water: light gets distorted, visibility isn’t great, and electronics don’t like water. We were pleased that we got the robot moving safely and none of the electronics were damaged.” 

The team however learned that their current setup had difficulty with underwater mapping which was an expected challenge that will guide the next phase of research.  

Looking Ahead 

Despite the challenges, the test swim was a clear success. The team now plans to continue refining the system, incorporating sonar technology to improve navigation and building a small testing pool at UCL East for ongoing trials. 

““It’s been really exciting to see the kinds of images the robot can pick up,” said Dr Bishop after the test. “I can already see the potential for identifying features in rivers, and that’s really cool. I can’t wait to see where it goes next.” 

Ultimately, the project aims to design a new river-health metric that combines robotic data with regulatory and citizen-science observations, helping policymakers and the public understand the changing condition of urban waterways. This information will help build a digital twin of London’s rivers, an interactive 3D model that could one day help improve water quality and biodiversity across the city. 

The project whose team spans robotics and ecology is also a prime example of the interdisciplinary approach fostered at UCL East which has a firm focus on how to solve global challenges at a local level.