Idronaut Srl is an SME established in 1982. Idronaut has a wide ranging expertise in: marine chemistry, electrochemistry, electronics, telemetry, computer science, software, micro-mechanics and chemical and physical oceanography. Idronaut designs, manufactures, integrates and markets: CTD multiparameter probes to measure physical-chemical parameters in waters (7000 m depth), Buoy Profiling systems for remote monitoring in waters and real-time data transmission to land-based stations. Idronaut manufactures the submersible voltammetric probe, VIP system, for in situ, autonomous monitoring of the dynamic fractions of Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Zn(II) in aquatic systems (fresh and seawaters). Customers include the main national research agencies, oceanographic institutes and universities in Europe, the Americas, Far East and China where more than 300 304-CTDs were recently sold for oceanographic applications. Idronaut was the Project Leader of the following European projects: Eureka Project EU 408 Euromar-Bims; MAST-III 94-98 - Contract n° MAS3-CT95-0033 (VAMP - Voltammetric Autonomous Measuring Probes for trace metals in the water column and at water-sediment interfaces); IMTEC 00-03 contract n° EVK3-CT-2000-00036 (In situ automated monitoring of trace metal speciation in estuaries and coastal zones …). Idronaut was also partner of: Brite-Euram III-Contract n° BRPR-CT97-0374; Eureka Project EU 540 Envinet-Atac; CEC FAR research contract AQ.2.579. Website: www.idronaut.it

Contact person: Flavio Graziottin (idronaut@idronaut.it)

Role of Idronaut in CommonSense: Idronaut is involved in WP2, WP6, WP9, WP10 and WP11.

Profile of responsible staff engaged in the project:
Flavio Graziottin has been IDRONAUT’s Technical Director since 1985. He has obtained prizes/mentions for innovative industrial developments. In May 1993 he was appointed by the Ministry of University and Scientific/Technologic Research to be the Contact Participant for Italy on the EUROMAR Board. Since May 1994 he is the holder, together with Dr Fabiani (ENEA – TIB) of patent no 01242705 for the invention of a “New type of flux sensors for potentiometric continuous determination of ions in solution on micro-samples”. In September 2004 he was designated inventor in the European patent application (04018125) concerning a new kind of conductivity sensor. He has experience in the management of MAST/EUREKA/FP3 projects.

Fabio Confalonieri is IDRONAUT’s Firmware & Software Manager. Since July 1987, Fabio has been employed in the R&D group of the IDRONAUT S.r.l. company as a software and firmware specialist and successively, as from 1993, as the person responsible for the company software and firmware development. His primary job function is the design and development of embedded systems and the development of their firmware in Assembler and “C”, “C++” language. Having a background in electronics engineering (B.S.E.E. in electronic), he is involved in the study and definition of the IDRONAUT products architecture and specifications.  Furthermore, he designed and developed frame oriented communication protocols used by IDRONAUT data telemetry systems. He has been responsible for the R&D of EC funded projects since 2000.