A significant risk to human health is the presence of microplastics in drinking water and other sources of usable water. Microplastics are minuscule plastic flecks with a diameter of less than five millimetres (0.2 inches). A novel 3D gadget in the form of a fish has been designed to address this health risk.
The Natural Robotics Contest, a public contest organized by the University of Surrey, was won by a robot fish that filters microplastics. The Robot Fish was designed by chemistry undergraduate student Eleanor Mackintosh - who is coincidentally a University of Surrey student.
According to the University of Surrey, the robot fish design was selected by an international panel of judges because it could be part of a solution to minimise plastic pollution in our waterways.
Dr Robert Siddall, Lecturer at the University of Surrey and the contest's creator, said, "We don't know where the vast majority of plastic dumped into our waterways ends up. We hope that this robo-fish and its future descendants are the first steps in the right direction to help us to find and, eventually, control this plastic pollution problem. "
The upcoming updated designs will be autonomous in contrast to the current design, which is remotely controlled.
The robot fish has gills that it uses to filter water as it swims and is about the size of a salmon.
According to the online science website newatlas, "the robot swims by flapping its tail, holding its mouth wide open to collect water (and microplastics) in an internal cavity as it does so. Once that cavity is full, the bot closes its mouth, opens its louvre-like gill flaps, and pushes the water out through those flaps by raising the floor of the cavity. "A fine mesh attached to the gill flaps allows the water to pass through but captures the plastic particles."
"The robo-fish will join other pollution-fighting robots under development at the University of Surrey, helping to make the world more sustainable," added Dr Siddall.
The microplastics can take hundreds or even thousands of years to break down. Its ecological effects on the ecosystem are a pressing problem that requires careful consideration.
