無人機將透過提供近距離、高解析度成像和數據收集能力徹底改變生物多樣性研究

為了擁有健康的生態系統，我們需要生物多樣性，因為它支持地球上的所有生命，包括人類。沒有各種微生物、植物和動物，我們根本不可能擁有一個平衡的環境。

To maintain a healthy ecosystem, we need biodiversity, as it supports all life on Earth, including humans. Without a variety of microorganisms, plants, and animals, we simply can't have a balanced environment.

為了維持健康的生態系統，我們需要生物多樣性，因為它支持地球上的所有生命，包括人類。沒有各種微生物、植物和動物，我們根本不可能擁有一個平衡的環境。

Biodiversity provides ecosystem services such as clean air, freshwater, and flood management, which are crucial to human well-being. It also supports food security, helps in carbon sequestration, detoxifies and decomposes waste, enhances resilience in organisms, and helps regulate disease. The genes in plants and animals are even used to develop medicines and pharmaceuticals.

生物多樣性提供清潔空氣、淡水和洪水管理等生態系統服務，這對人類福祉至關重要。它還支持糧食安全，幫助固碳，解毒和分解廢物，增強生物體的恢復能力，並幫助調節疾病。植物和動物的基因甚至被用來開發藥物和藥物。

So, it's clear that we need a better understanding of biodiversity. A powerful tool to study biodiversity in forests and tree canopies is the analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA). However, collecting the samples of eDNA isn't easy in such high and complex environments.

因此，很明顯我們需要更了解生物多樣性。研究森林和樹冠生物多樣性的強大工具是環境 DNA (eDNA) 分析。然而，在如此高、複雜的環境中採集eDNA樣本並不容易。

Traditionally, labor-intensive approaches like tree rolling or surface swabbing have been used to achieve the task. Relying on satellite imagery or using cranes to study regions not only required significant efforts to reach sufficient coverage but also lacked precision.

傳統上，人們使用諸如滾動樹木或表面擦拭等勞動密集型方法來完成這項任務。依靠衛星影像或使用起重機來研究區域不僅需要付出巨大的努力才能達到足夠的覆蓋範圍，而且缺乏精確度。

But not anymore. Drones are all set to transform the situation by providing close-up, high-resolution imaging and data collection capabilities.

但現在不再了。無人機將透過提供近距離、高解析度成像和數據收集功能來改變這種情況。

A new study proposed using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to explore biodiversity in treetops, specifically in remote and inaccessible areas. This means drones will perform the job safely without requiring people to go to hard-to-reach areas like tropical rainforests to collect genetic material from treetops while helping us get a deeper understanding of biodiversity.

一項新的研究建議使用無人機（UAV）來探索樹頂的生物多樣性，特別是在偏遠和交通不便的地區。這意味著無人機將安全地執行這項工作，而不需要人們前往熱帶雨林等難以到達的地區從樹梢收集遺傳物質，同時幫助我們更深入地了解生物多樣性。

Gathering eDNA Using Drones

使用無人機收集 eDNA

eDNA is found in biological substances such as mucus, feces, and dead skin cells and has been used to examine biodiversity for several decades now. Used to catalog and monitor biodiversity, the DNA traces help researchers determine which species are present in a particular area.

eDNA 存在於黏液、糞便和死皮細胞等生物物質中，幾十年來一直被用來檢查生物多樣性。 DNA 痕跡可用於編目和監測生物多樣性，幫助研究人員確定特定區域存在哪些物種。

Early last year, scientists from ETH Zurich research institute used this technique to find out just which species use forest canopy to build their homes.

去年年初，蘇黎世聯邦理工學院研究所的科學家利用這項技術來找出哪些物種利用森林樹冠來建造家園。

To build this special drone that has the ability to gather samples on tree branches on its own, researchers at ETH Zurich along with those from the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL partnered with the company SPYGEN.

為了建造這種能夠自行收集樹枝樣本的特殊無人機，蘇黎世聯邦理工學院的研究人員以及瑞士聯邦研究所 WSL 的研究人員與 SPYGEN 公司合作。

The aircraft was installed with adhesive strips on the bottom of it. The UAV was gently brought down on branches and once generic material was transferred from branches to these adhesives, it was then analyzed.

飛機底部安裝有膠帶。將無人機輕輕地降落在樹枝上，一旦通用材料從樹枝轉移到這些黏合劑上，就會對其進行分析。

But ranches vary in their thickness and elasticity. And having the aircraft approach a branch and remain stable to take samples successfully proved to be a big challenge for the researchers.

但牧場的厚度和彈性各不相同。讓飛機接近樹枝並保持穩定以成功採集樣本對研究人員來說是一個巨大的挑戰。

“Landing on branches requires complex control.”

“降落在樹枝上需要複雜的控制。”

– Stefano Mintchev, Professor of Environmental Robotics at ETH Zurich and WSL at the time

– Stefano Mintchev，當時蘇黎世聯邦理工學院和 WSL 的環境機器人學教授

So, the team fitted the drone with a force-sensing cage, which allowed the aircraft to measure the flexibility of the branch and use that to move. The device was then tested on seven tree species, and the samples were found to contain DNA from 21 distinct groups of organisms, including birds, insects, and mammals.

因此，團隊為無人機安裝了力感應籠，使飛機能夠測量樹枝的靈活性並利用它來移動。隨後該裝置在 7 種樹種上進行了測試，結果發現樣本中含有來自 21 個不同生物群的 DNA，包括鳥類、昆蟲和哺乳動物。

While this is an easier, faster, and safer alternative to sending biologists high up into the treetops, even this method isn't completely risk-free.

雖然與將生物學家送到樹頂相比，這是一種更簡單、更快速、更安全的替代方法，但即使這種方法也並非完全沒有風險。

When using the drone, there is a risk of not only damaging the tree but also the drone itself in case there's an unintentional hard collision. Then, there's the limitation of gathering samples only from branches on which the drone lands. So, while the results have been “encouraging,” the drone had to improve.

使用無人機時，如果發生意外的嚴重碰撞，不僅會損壞樹木，還會損壞無人機本身。然後，僅從無人機降落的樹枝上收集樣本是有限制的。因此，雖然結果“令人鼓舞”，但無人機必須改進。

An Improved System to Study Biodiversity

改良的生物多樣性研究系統

Now, scientists from ETH Zurich have created a novel, custom-designed robotic system. This new approach for UAVs to collect eDNA within tree canopies uses a surface swabbing technique.

現在，蘇黎世聯邦理工學院的科學家們創造了一種新穎的、客製化設計的機器人系統。這種無人機在樹冠內收集 eDNA 的新方法採用了表面擦拭技術。

Led by Steffen Kirchgeorg, a robotics PhD student at ETH Zurich, the study developed a sampling system with a flat fabric probe. The piece of fleece cloth is actually cut into a circle, much like how a coffee filter is shaped, and attached with fiberglass strips to provide structure.

該研究由蘇黎世聯邦理工學院機器人學博士生 Steffen Kirchgeorg 領導，開發了一種具有平面織物探針的採樣系統。這塊羊毛布實際上被切成圓形，就像咖啡過濾器的形狀一樣，並附有玻璃纖維條以提供結構。

The probe is moved down on a tether from a lifting gear mounted on the quadcopter's underside. This way, the drone is kept out of the vegetation.

探頭透過安裝在四軸飛行器底部的起重裝置的繫繩向下移動。這樣，無人機就可以遠離植被。

The drone was also equipped with a sensor that prevents the tether of the probe from tangling on branches. The researchers programmed the system to shift position automatically when detecting an impact.

無人機還配備了一個感測器，可以防止探測器的繩索纏繞在樹枝上。研究人員對系統進行了編程，使其在檢測到撞擊時自動移動位置。

The way it works is that the UAV hovers safely above the treetops. The probe is then lowered through the foliage where it brushes against leaves and branches. And once eDNA has been gathered, the probe can be removed for its content to be subsequently analyzed.

其運作原理是無人機安全地懸停在樹梢上方。然後將探針降低穿過樹葉，擦過樹葉和樹枝。一旦收集到 eDNA，就可以取出探針，以便隨後分析其內容。

The experiment was performed in a rainforest in Southeast Asia, where the drone was remotely controlled by Kirchgeorg and colleagues through a live feed from its onboard camera. The drone was flown out of the line of sight to collect ten samples from the forest canopy.

該實驗是在東南亞的雨林中進行的，Kirchgeorg 及其同事透過機載攝影機的即時直播遠端控制無人機。無人機飛出視線範圍，從森林樹冠收集十個樣本。

The effectiveness of the new approach was demonstrated during the XPRIZE Rainforest Semi-Finals, where the team revealed they found the eDNA of 152 different species from these

新方法的有效性在 XPRIZE 雨林半決賽中得到了證明，團隊透露他們從這些雨林中發現了 152 個不同物種的 eDNA