Design of an environmental monitoring and control system with virtual simulation of inspection in artesian wells

Very often, in areas of the world where there is great difficulty in obtaining water for homes or plantations, wells are built, which are almost always of the artesian type. An artesian well is a type of naturally effluent well: groundwater reaches the surface without the need for mechanical aids, making it possible to supply water without the pumping systems required for other types of wells. The dimensions of artesian wells are around 20-30 cm in diameter and reach very high depths, even more than 100 m. They therefore pose a significant danger when, once unused, they are not properly sealed at the surface, causing numerous accidents, especially in India, where children are often the victims. One of the incidents that received the most media attention occurred in Italy in June 1981 when, in Vermicino, Alfredo Rampi, a 6-year-old boy, fell into an artesian well and died after about three days during which several rescue attempts were made. Unfortunately, the Vermicino incident was not an isolated case; in fact, about 80% of rescue operations in similar accidents end in failure. This is because modern technologies do not allow for timely recovery operations and, in fact, often involve the construction of a parallel tunnel for the child's recovery, which is not only very slow but also very risky, as it tends to cause the child to sink further, making the rescue increasingly complicated. For this reason, following an idea from the speleologist Tullio Bernabei, who personally intervened in the Vermicino incident, and in collaboration with the University of L'Aquila, at the DIMEAS of the Polytechnic University of Turin, a project was started that involved the collaboration of several students to develop a teleoperated rescue robot capable of both securing the child, thus preventing further sinking, and recovering and bringing the child to safety on the surface. The aim of this thesis is to carry out a simulation of the operation that includes securing the child and monitoring the data inside the well during the rescue operation. To do this, a control unit equipped with apposite sensors has been implemented, and data is expected to be transmitted to a receiving unit outside the well.