Off the southern coast of England, a sleek robotic fish silently patrols polluted harbors — not to monitor, but to clean. Developed by researchers at the University of Surrey, this autonomous underwater drone actively swallows microplastics from seawater as it swims — and converts that waste into energy.
The fish-shaped robot mimics the flow dynamics of real marine species, using a flexible tail for propulsion. As it glides through the water, a specially designed filter system draws in microplastic particles below 5mm — which are then funneled into an onboard chamber where they're compressed and used to generate low-voltage power.
That energy feeds the robot’s internal systems — allowing it to operate without external charging. Essentially, the more pollution it finds, the longer it can swim. It’s one of the first truly self-sustaining robots that “feeds” on the problem it’s designed to solve.
Made from soft, biodegradable materials, the robot is safe for marine life and causes no disruption to the ecosystem. It moves silently, avoids collisions, and is programmed to surface when its collection chamber is full. Once recovered, its waste payload is recycled, and it's ready for redeployment.
The prototype can collect over 2kg of microplastics in a 12-hour cycle, and it’s already being deployed in marine conservation zones and ports. Future models will be equipped with swarm AI to patrol entire coastlines autonomously.
This tech could transform ocean cleanups — replacing costly ships and human divers with fleets of self-powered, fish-like robots that quietly erase one of the planet’s worst pollution threats.
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