Meet Gilbert, the robotic fish that could solve water pollution problems forever

Weather of Arabia - A plastic-eating robotic fish named "Gilbert" won the Natural Robotics competition, a public competition organized by the British University of Surrey, which allowed participants to come up with a design for an animal-inspired robot that would benefit the world and the environment.

This was the first year that the university held a Natural Robotics Competition, and nearly 100 entries were received from people interested in nature and robotics for a chance to see their design transformed into a true engineering discipline.

According to the University of Surrey, the fish robot design was chosen by an international jury because it could be part of the solution to reducing plastic pollution in our waterways. Even thousands of years until it decomposes, it has harmful effects on the ecosystem.

The robotic fish, Gilbert, which is the size of a salmon, was designed by Eleanor Mackintosh, a University of Surrey chemistry student.

“We don’t know where the vast majority of the plastic that gets dumped into our waterways ends up,” said Dr. Robert Siddell, lecturer at the university and founder of the competition. “We hope this robotic fish will be the first steps in the right direction to help us find and eventually control this plastic pollution problem.” .

The robot swims by flapping its tail, keeping its mouth wide open to collect water and microplastics in an inner cavity as it does so. The fine mesh attached to the gill racks allows water to pass through but captures plastic particles."

"The robotic fish will join other pollution-fighting robots under development at the University of Surrey, helping to make the world more sustainable," added Dr. Sydal.

So far, Gilbert has only been used in lakes and small streams, but with continued design advances, it could be an excellent way to remove microplastics from the world's waterways to rid them of pollution.