‘BeBot’ Robot Sifts Beach Sand For Plastics That Humans Might’ve Missed
Image via 4Ocean
4Ocean—a company that makes products from plastic waste collected from the ocean, beaches, and rivers—has teamed up with robot manufacturer Poralu Marine to create the ‘BeBot’, a special robot that helps sift for small pieces of plastic waste on beaches that humans might’ve missed out on.
“It’s designed for areas that have relatively clean beaches but large amounts of microplastics,” said Alex Schulze, cofounder and CEO of 4Ocean, told Fast Company.
One key offering of the BeBot is that it’s a quieter alternative to other giant vacuums that suck up plastics from the sand. It’s also much smaller in size and runs on batteries connected to a solar panel, allowing it to be used even when visitors are around.
The robot travels back and forth on the beach, covering about three-fifths the size of a football field each hour. It sifts through the top layer of sand through a screen, allowing the robot to collect pieces of small packaging and cigarette buds.
However, it also picks up pebbles and seashells, so a human will have to sort through the contents of the machinery after it’s done, to separate the recyclable materials from trash.
The firm plans to begin testing the BeBot in Hawaii, along with hired staff who comb the shores for larger pieces of trash. 4Ocean will then recycle the plastic it collects into products, such as sneakers.
Despite the good work it can do, Schulze acknowledges that the BeBot isn’t the solution to the world’s pollution problems – stopping single-use plastic is.
“This machine is by no means a solution for the ocean plastic crisis. We hope to use this machine to collect that plastic that exists as well as raise awareness to how that plastic is getting on the coastlines and in the ocean. And we hope to use it as a tool to drive awareness so that people live a more sustainable lifestyle and cut down on the amount of single-use plastic that they’re consuming,” Schulze said.
Image via 4Ocean
Image via 4Ocean
Image via 4Ocean
Image via 4Ocean
[via Fast Company, images via 4Ocean]
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