Jacob is a 17 year old high school senior, whose interests lie in water research and business management. He has a particularly deep passion for PFOS research, which has been dubbed in the past as the “forever chemical.” In pursuit of a solution to this issue, him, alongside his Co-Founder Belle, approached and connected with like-minded peers Alex and Vikram. His primary role revolves around communication with partners and suppliers, outreach, as well as the physical assembly of the drones.
Fighting Forever Chemicals with Floating Swarm Drones
Dronaqua is reimagining water safety using autonomous, solar-powered drone technology.
USD 30,000+
Funding
300+
Simulated Datasets
15+
Partnering Labs
Core Features That Power Our Mission
- Real-time detection & mapping
- Sustainable & solar-powered
- Patent-pending technology
- Strategic collaborations in Singapore
Who We Are
Building the Future of Water Safety, One Drone at a Time
Dronaqua is a youth-led environmental technology initiative committed to safeguarding water systems through innovation. Founded by high school seniors from UWCSEA Dover Campus, our team designs and manufactures floating, solar-powered swarm drones that detect, treat, and map PFOS contamination in urban water bodies. We are currently patent pending, so we cannot put actual photos of the drones on the website yet (please contact us if interested). All photos in this website were taken by photographer Reo Nagakoshi.
Our Team
Executive Members
Jacob Wang
Traveller
Belle is a high school senior passionate about environmental science, with a particular interest in water sustainability and pollutant tracking. Within the team, Belle’s main role lies in bridging science and society – connecting with experts from institutions like Singapore’s National Water Agency (PUB) and the National University of Singapore to integrate professional research insights into the project drawn from her previous research experiences. She also leads public-facing communication and outreach efforts.
Belle Zhou
Traveller
Alex is a high school senior with a strong passion for engineering and environmental technology. With a background in hardware programming, they lead the technical development of the team’s water-monitoring drones. From designing PCB layouts to writing control software, Alex ensures that each drone functions reliably and efficiently. He helps bridge the gap between innovation and real-world impact, contributing to the team’s shared mission of tackling PFOS contamination through cutting-edge solutions.
Alex Cho
Traveller
Vikram is a high school senior with a deep-rooted interest in applied mathematics, physics, and computer simulation, especially in the context of real-world problems like environmental sustainability. With experience in nuclear fusion simulations and deep learning for quantum error correction, Vikram brings a systems-level approach to tackling the design of the drones – integrating data-driven optimization with real-world engineering to maximize performance and impact.
Vikram Goel
Traveller
Why PFAS Matters
The PFAS Problem
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are harmful pollutants that accumulate in water, soil, and living organisms. Linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and immune dysfunction, PFAS contamination is difficult and expensive to manage using traditional methods.
Our Innovation
How We Solve It.
Dronaqua provides a sustainable, scalable solution for PFOS monitoring using autonomous, solar-powered swarm drones. These drones use mobilised screen-printed electrodes for real-time detection and spatial mapping, communicating Via a mesh network to a central station. The system enables efficient, low-impact surveillance of large water bodies, reducing costs and improving accessibility through advanced sensors, renewable energy, and modular design.
Our Mission and Vision
A Youth-led Initiative Committed to Environmental Change
Dronaqua is a youth-led environmental technology initiative, our mission is to safeguard water systems through innovation. We combine cutting edge sensor technologies with sustainable materials and real-time mesh network communication, and a patent application on this design is currently under review.
SDG 6
Dronaqua remains determined to combat the issues surrounding clean water and sanitation, we are doing our part to remove PFAS and hence improve water quality.
Youth
Dronaqua is committed to demonstrating youth activism. Having had exposure on international platforms and creating tangible impact, we want to show other young people that activism is possible at our age too.
Data
Dronaqua is dedicated to producing data on an otherwise unfamiliar substance. In doing so,it hopes to advance research and development in the area.
Achievements
We have been recognised and invited as finalists to Conrad Challenge’s Innovation Summit, as well as been financially supported by 7 international incubator grants, alongside PUB’s funding.
Partnerships
Throughout our project, we forged and will maintain partnerships with numerous established and prestigious institutions.
Our Flagship partnership with Singapore’s National Water Agency
National Water Agency’s Previous Deputy Chief Executive, current Senior Consultant
to Chief Executive (Right), Mr. Harry Seah.
CLEAN WATER
Start Your Smart Water Monitoring Journey With Us.
Partner with Dronaqua to deploy intelligent swarm drones that detect, map, and reduce PFAS contamination in real-time—sustainably.
