Chinese scientists have created robot fish that would “consume” the microscopic plastic particles in an effort to rid the oceans of microplastics.
Robot fish measuring 1.3 centimeters (0.5 inch) in size have been developed by Chinese researchers at Sichuan University in southwest China.
According to Wang Yuyan, one of the researchers who built the robot, the team wants to make it so that it can gather microplastics in deeper water and offer information to analyses marine pollution in real time.
“We developed such a lightweight miniaturized robot. It can be used in many ways, for example in biomedical or hazardous operations, such a small robot that can be localized to a part of your body to help you eliminate some disease.”
A light shine on the robot fish, causing it to flap its fins and wiggle its body. Scientists can use light to control the fish and keep it from colliding with other fish or ships.
According to the researcher, if one of the robot fish is eaten by another fish, it can be digested safely because it is made of polyurethane, which is also biocompatible.
What is the fish capable of?
Pollutants will be absorbed by the robot fish. It has also been designed in such a way that it can recover from damage. It can swim at a rate of 2.76 body lengths per second, which is faster than the majority of artificial soft robots. “We are mostly working on collection (of microplastics). It is like a sampling robot and it can be used repeatedly,” Wang Yuyan said.
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