In the context of the Clean Indian Mission, water pollution and aquatic waste management is a central concern. In 2020, two Indian researchers developed an intelligent, robotics-based solution for automated waste removal in lakes, with a special focus on ensuring that their robot fulfills smart city functions. The system is based on the credit-card sized computer Raspberry Pi and uses proximity sensors for detection and DC motors powered by magnetic forces for movement. Using the Raspberry Pi, the cleaning system maintains its compactness while having one central hub powering all functions of the robot. Once a piece of waste is identified, the robot uses a gripper to dispose of said waste particles into its own trash bin. So far, trials have shown the robot to work quickly with high computational accuracy. The robotic lake cleaner can also be used in other static bodies of water, but currently can only pick up floating waste particles at the waters’ surface meaning that submerged, underwater waste is not effectively disposed of. Future iterations of the robot are intended to be developed so as to function in flowing bodies of water, and researchers are also looking to implement image processing software in order to differentiate from biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste particles.
Arun Kumar, S., &; Sasikala, S. (2020). Effective Aquatic Waste Removal through Lake Cleaning Robot for Smart city Environment. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering Regular Issue, 9(4), 2831-2835. doi:10.35940/ijitee.c8905.029420
Categories
Artificial Life, Pollution
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Climate Change, Ecological Monitoring, Lifestyle, Monitoring, Pollution, Visual Technologies