Introduction

As the project ended, our team managed to realize most of its objectives : we are ready to show a functional proof of concept, not only of the biosensor BioBrick, but also of our drone and containment tube. Though some improvements may be brought, such as the guiding system for the drone or the CelloCad optimization for the biosensor, Quantifly is now a real tool able to measure pollution in the outside environment. Due to the iGEM Restrictions concerning biological material taken outside the lab, we were not able to actually perform a mapping, but we tried to simulate as best as possible the external conditions.
As we cannot spray a cloud of pollutants in the lab and fly through it, for quite obvious reasons, we decided to take a deconstructed approach. We assumed that we would make the elements of our project work one by one in simulated conditions, before putting them altogether. We stated that, if the biosensor, the containment tube and the drone are working, the whole project would be functional as well.

Our Biosensor

Our biosensor is the BioBrick we put the most efforts in, in terms of assembly or characterization. We were rewarded in late August when we saw our bioluminescence results for the first time: it appears that not only the BioBrick device works, but that our statement correlating the intensity of light to the amount of pollutant was correct as well. ! We detailed all the characterization process extensively in the Proof of Concept page, accessible through this link.

The Drone

Our drone was built as detailed in the Hardware section. It is flight-ready, and able to carry our bacteria to the sampling area. The only thing we would like to improve is the opening mechanism for the containment tube: the actual one feels a bit clumsy, and we have the feeling that it could be improved over time. However, as you will see at the iGEM Giant Jamboree, our homemade drone is perfectly safe and functional. In case you want to build your own Quantifly drone or to improve our model, you can download all of the 3D models by clicking on this link.

The containment tube

The containment tube was tested and proved hermetic. Again, we were not able to perform any sampling using the tube due to a lack of technical means, but we tested its impermeability and proved that it could safely contain our bacteria. The opening/closing system also works perfectly, as expected. Just as for the drone, the 3D models we used to print our containment tube are available by clicking on this link.