Robotic Detection of Marine Litter Using Deep Visual Detection Models IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2019 Product: Oceanic Trash Collecting Robot Environmental Impact: Reducing oceanic trach Planetary Boundary: Freshwater Use Keywords: Marine litter, Underwater trash removal, robotic detection, AUV, Freshwater Use, Marine Robotics, Preventive Solution Description: Using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to locate and remove marine trash may reduce oceanic pollution. This paper evaluates deep-learning algorithms put to the task of detecting trash in underwater environments. The paper provides insights into approaches for future trash removal AUVs.
Robotic Environmental DNA Bio-Surveillance of Freshwater Health Scientific Report Journal, September 2020 Product: Water Sampling Robot Environmental Impact: Monitoring the levels of biochemicals in the water Planetary Boundary: Ocean Acidification, Freshwater Use Keywords: Ocean monitoring, Marine environment, Oceanic data collection, Water samples, Freshwater Use, Marine Robotics, Autonomous underwater vehicle, Preventive solution Description: Autonomous water sampling technologies could help to monitor biological threats to freshwater ecosystems as well as filter and preserve the captured material once identified. Originally adapted from a marine environmental sample processor (ESP), this experiment found that this device was as effective as manual sampling methods.
Row-bot: An energetically autonomous artificial water boatman IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), December 2015 Product: Marine Robot Environmental Impact: Reduce carbon emissions Planetary Boundary: Climate Change Keywords: Biomimetics, Marine Control, Microbial fuel cells, Bio-inspired actuation, MFC-powered swimming robot, Water boatman beetle, Ocean cleaning, Ocean acidification, Freshwater Use, Marine Robotics Description: This research paper presents a design for an energetically autonomous artificial organism that demonstrates the anabolic, propulsive, and feeding mechanisms of an artificial, water boatman-inspired organism marine robot. The work is the demonstration of energetically autonomy in a microbial fuel cell (MFC)-powered, swimming robot taking energy from its surrounding aqueous environment. The energy generated has been shown to exceed the energy required to refuel. Biomimicry of the water boatman beetle has driven key design features resulting in system optimization including morphology to suit the drag profile required for power and recovery propulsion phases and combined floatation and oxygen supply.
The Starfish Terminator The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, October 2018 Product: Underwater Animal Capturing Robot Environmental Impact: Reduces the number of Crown-Of-Thorn Starfish in the Great Barrier Reef Planetary Boundary: Biodiversity Loss Keywords: Marine disasters, Coral reef, Crown-of-thrones starfish, Biodiversity loss, Marine robotics, Autonomous underwater vehicle, Responsive solution Description: COTS is instead an autonomous underwater robot equipped with artificial intelligence software, built by Matthew Dunbabin and Feras Dayoub, who study and build autonomous systems at the Institute for Future Environments at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Dunbabin and Dayoub built it to help fight one of the biggest marine disasters in progress—an outbreak of crown-of-thorns starfish, the voracious coral-eating organisms that are decimating the Great Barrier Reef faster than it can rebuild itself.