AssetID: 54956720
Headline: Meet the robotic sharks cleaning up the U.K.'s rivers and seas
Caption: In several of Britain’s cities you might spot something unusual in the water - a robotic shark. The WasteShark isn’t something to fear, however. It’s a small, electrically powered autonomous surface vessel (ASV) designed to skim waste from the surface of water. It's been deployed in cities including Leeds and London, as well as in the sea off North Devon. Modelled after the whale shark’s filter-feeding behaviour, the sleek, catamaran-style craft collects plastic, organic debris and floating rubbish with a wide, open mouth as it moves serenely through the water. Originally developed by RanMarine Technology, a Netherlands-based firm founded by inventor Richard Hardiman, the WasteShark is the first of its kind to operate in the UK. Hardiman explains: “WasteShark is a drone on water and it’s designed to sweep the surface of the water and collect trash, debris, biomass out of the water and return it back to land. “We have two versions: one that can be remotely controlled and one that is autonomous, very similar to a vacuum cleaner you might have at home.” In its first year of deployment in Leeds, the device has reportedly removed over 4,000 litres of waste from the water. The technology has gone down so well that a recent local campaign run by the Leeds Waterfront Group (LWG) to fund a second year of operations raised an impressive £45,000 - almost double its intended target - in just under eight weeks. The additional funds will now allow the WasteShark to operate an extra day each week, increasing its collection capacity by an estimated 4,500 litres annually. The WasteShark is operated manually via remote control and is equipped with GPS, a camera and collision-avoidance technology, ensuring it navigates safely around wildlife and other water users. Although it can collect up to 500kg of waste per day, if it encounters items too large to ingest, it can push them aside for manual removal. It can travel up to five kilometres through water before needing a recharge and collect up to 500 kilograms of plastic and other pollutants as it guides itself through the water. The WasteShark is not only a cleaner but also a collector of data. Fitted with water quality sensors, it transmits real-time environmental information back to a central hub, offering valuable insights into the health of urban waterways. Originally launched in Dutch canals in 2017, the WasteShark has been hailed as a significant innovation in tackling plastic pollution and aquatic waste. WasteSharks can be purchased for around £20,000 ($33,400) or leased for around £1,000 ($1,670) per month.
Keywords: feature,photo,video,robotics,science,technology,tech
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