Driving marine clean-up with connected aquatic drones

At Telefónica Tech, we will demonstrate at Mobile World Congress how IoT and 5G connectivity can play a key role in protecting marine ecosystems. We will present our connected aquatic drone solution and the pilot project we are developing with the Port Authority of Valencia to collect waste and microplastics at Marina Port Valencia, supported by the Valenciaport Foundation through its Opentop initiative and Marina Port Valencia .

Our solution, included in our services portfolio, is designed to safeguard aquatic environments through advanced technology. At a time when plastics are estimated to account for between 60% and 80% of marine litter, we rely on sensorisation, advanced connectivity and automation to optimise clean-up operations while reducing their carbon footprint .

The pilot project features an aquatic drone capable of collecting up to 500 kilograms of floating waste per day, with a battery life of up to eight hours and a range of more than 20 kilometres . Equipped with a video camera and integrated LiDAR sensors, the device navigates autonomously and avoids obstacles through IoT-5G connectivity. The data and images gathered are sent to a monitoring and analytics platform, enabling greater operational efficiency and informed decision-making.

Through this initiative, we reinforce our commitment to applying technological innovation to sustainability and marine protection.