https://edition.cnn.com/science/clearbot-waste-boat-hnk-spc/
"In between the speedboats, luxury yachts, and wooden fishing boats moored in a
Hong Kong marina, a different kind of vessel maneuvers. It looks unassuming,
but as the three-meter-long (10-foot-long) uncrewed catamaran moves deftly
through the water, it consumes waste floating on the surface in a Pac-Man-like
fashion.
Discarded plastic water bottles, juice boxes and cartons travel through a gap
in the front of the boat and move up a conveyor belt. A camera photographs the
haul, before the garbage is deposited in a collection basket in the center of
the boat.
An estimated 33 billion pounds (15 billion kilograms) of plastic trash enter
the oceans every year – the equivalent of dumping two garbage trucks worth of
waste into the ocean every minute – according to the US nonprofit Oceana. Most
of it gets there via rivers and coastlines.
“We have garbage trucks for the land. Why don’t we have something to clean the
water?” Sidhant Gupta, the co-founder of the marine-tech startup Clearbot,
which developed the boat, told CNN.
Clearbot is trying to change that with its autonomous, solar-powered boats,
like the one in Hong Kong which can gobble up 80 kilograms (176 pounds) of
waste an hour and carry 200 kilograms (441 pounds) on board.
In the process, it hopes to help the marine industry, which relies heavily on
manpower and fossil fuels, evolve. “We’re building the future of boats and
ships,” said Gupta."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/living-beings/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
