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A student at the University of Surrey has designed a robot fish capable of filtering waterways to collect microplastics. The digital code is open source too, so anyone with access to a 3D printer can create their own.
Microplastics are an ecological menace that have only really entered global discourse in the last few years.
Making up close to 92% of the estimated 5.25 trillion plastic objects floating on the oceanโs surface, these tiny traces of polymer toxify waterways globally and harm biodiversity. A concerning study back in March even detected microplastics in the blood of most human participants.
Getting any real stranglehold on the plastic crisis, we now know, relies on our ability to collect these tiny fragments of plastic as well as standard throwaway items.
As of today, however, thereโs no wide-scale standard for removing it and weโre still weighing up a bunch of different solutions.
Thankfully, another such project has recently emerged from an unlikely avenue: a student design assignment at the University of Surrey. Robotics professor Dr. Robert Siddall tasked his class to submit ideas for practical devices inspired by animals, and the results did not disappoint.
An ingenious design by Eleanour Mackintosh immediately stood out and grabbed first prize among countless international entries, meaning the university had to bring it to life.
It has now transformed from the principal stage on paper into several different prototypes. Her idea involved using 3D-printed robot fish to autonomously swarm waterways and siphon microplastics.
