UAE: Female students develop solar-powered AI robot to clean ocean

Five female students have created a robot that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to clean the sea from plastic and other floating and mineral wastes to protect the marine environment.

The robot, powered entirely by solar energy, can navigate autonomously in a marine environment by studying multiple paths and deciding on the most energy-efficient path based on the amount of waste and detected obstacles.

The five female students from Abu Dhabi University (ADU) who created the machine include Saba Barfis, Dana Al Manala, Tasneem Al Assaad, Lin Al Asadi and Iman Al Naqbi.

One of the students, Saba Barfis, explained that the robot works with an autonomous, self-driving and sustainable mechanism for cleaning the sea. "The robot is specifically designed to clean water surfaces safely and continuously," she said.

The students said the robot has been designed to navigate autonomously in a marine environment by studying multiple paths and deciding on the most energy-efficient path based on the number of waste and detected obstacles.

The robot's battery is charged through an off-grid photovoltaic solar energy system on completing the cleaning trip in the sea.

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A DIP controller is also used to ensure that the robot doesn't deviate from its path. This is through the use of Artificial Intelligence, which enables the robot to detect and track waste in the marine environment.

According to the students, the amount of waste is increasing in the world every year, and human practices affect the land and water surfaces, thereby threatening the marine environment with plastic and other types of floating waste.

"This endangers marine life and thus humans, as many fish, turtles, and aquatic species die due to eating plastic," said another student, Dana Al Manala.

"Our invention aims to help revive the aquatic environment by purifying it from all kinds of waste floating on its surfaces, in addition, our robot will help people working in the field of cleaning water surfaces by significantly reducing their long working hours."

The students were under the supervision of Dr Mohammed Ghazal, Dr Anas Al Tarabshah, and engineers Omar Al Ali, Yasmin Al Khalil, Marah Al Halabi, and Maha Yaghi.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi