Have you ever looked out onto a lake, river or harbor and been shocked by the amount of floating trash and debris? A startup called Clear Robotics is tackling this environmental problem in a revolutionary way: an autonomous robot boat.
Clear Robotics was founded by two college graduates who wanted to automate the labor-intensive task of cleaning floating trash from waterways. Their solution is the Clearbot, a robotic vessel that cruises ports, lakes, and canals, using its open bow to collect floating trash into onboard bins.
Get security alerts, expert tips – Subscribe to KURT's newsletter – CYBERGUY REPORT.
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/1-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boats-wage-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
Clear Robotics is expanding its fleet of vehicles.
obvious robotics Now, we are expanding our fleet with a new Class 3 autonomous marine vessel. This large robotic boat boasts a five-fold increase in onboard storage capacity for collected waste and debris, to 1.5 tons. It can also tow additional barges, allowing for longer cleanup operations without having to return to port as often.
In addition to collecting floating debris, the new Class 3 vessel is designed to deal with another aquatic pest: invasive weeds. With its enhanced performance, it becomes an even more powerful tool in the fight to keep local waters clean and healthy. It can also be used for monitoring water quality and oil and foam collection.
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/2-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boats-wage-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
This AI robotic trash collector can sort over 500 types of trash in seconds.
Increased capacity of new vessels
The new vessel is designed to collect up to 441 pounds of floating debris per hour and has an onboard storage capacity of 1,100 pounds. The ability to be equipped with a tow barge will increase the payload per trip to 1.5 tons as mentioned above.
The electric drivetrain can reach an average speed of 3.5 mph, and the 3 kWh battery pack can operate for up to eight hours per charge. Clear Robotics has installed solar panels on top, which can add additional time in ideal conditions. The company also reported that it has introduced self-docking mechanisms to its entire fleet, allowing the ships to autonomously return to their docking stations with solar charging devices to recharge.
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/3-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boats-wage-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
The Worrying Truth About Our Nation's Recycling Programs
Cutting-edge technology for cleaning and plant removal
Measuring 13.25 x 7.5 x 5.5 feet, the Class 3 Clearbot is equipped with a 1080p camera and lidar, and can optionally have collision avoidance smarts for fully autonomous operation. It has a front conveyor to collect floating debris, but it’s also equipped with a special cutter to extract invasive plants and weeds, such as hyacinths and duckweed.
When on a garbage collection mission, the vessel is reported to be able to handle up to 107,600 square feet per day, but that amount is reduced when cutting and removing weeds.
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/4-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boats-wage-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
Could this technology be the answer to our ocean's plastic problem?
Key Autonomous Functions of Class 3 Clearbot
Key features of Clear Robotics’ new Class 3 autonomous vessel, Clearbot, include:
Autonomous Pathpoint Mission Route: Clearbot allows you to provide GPS waypoints (latitude/longitude pairs) and allows the robot to autonomously move from its current location to each defined waypoint to collect trash.
Fail Safe Return: Clearbot will return to its Home Point if the signal is lost when connected to a remote controller or Wi-Fi. The RTH function ensures safe maritime operations even in larger waters.
Crash Prevention Software: Collision avoidance detection helps Clearbot stop and slightly reverse its movements when it detects something within a 45-foot radius around the boat when cleaning up debris and oil in marine environments.
AI-powered dashboard: Dashboards help Clearbot users monitor emerging trends in their data, track operations, and make informed decisions based on rigorous analytics.
How to remove personal data from the internet
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/5-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boats-wage-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
Clearbot's New Waste Cleaning Partnership
Clearbot has partnered with Kingspan Group, a global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions, to begin sustainable cleaning of the Nonbah River in Nongstoin City, India, demonstrating real-world application and adoption of autonomous waste collection technology.
![Autonomous garbage-eating robot boat wages war on waterway waste](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1200/675/6-Autonomous-trash-gobbling-robo-boat-wages-war-on-waterway-waste.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Clear Robotics (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutson)
Key points of the cut
The rise of autonomous robotic solutions like Clearbot represents a major step forward in solving the massive problem of ocean pollution and waterway contamination. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI, machine vision, and autonomous driving capabilities, these systems can operate continuously with minimal human intervention, clearing vast areas of floating debris, oil slicks, and invasive plants. As the technology matures and costs fall, fleets of these trash goblins could patrol rivers, ports, and coastlines around the world, significantly reducing the millions of tons of waste flowing into our waterways each year.
Have you witnessed the impact of plastic pollution and floating debris in your local waterways? What innovative solutions would you like to see implemented to address this environmental issue? Write to us and let us know. Cyberguy.com/Contact.
Subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report newsletter for more tech tips and security alerts. Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.
Ask Kurt a question or let him know what story you'd like him to cover..
Follow Kurt's social channels
Answers to CyberGuy's most frequently asked questions:
Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.