STUDENT WINS CONTEST WITH INCREDIBLE FISH ROBOT DESIGN WHICH FILTERS MICROPLASTICS FROM WATER

It is concerning when microplastics are found in water bodies. Both people and animals are seriously at risk from these tiny plastic fragments, which are little bigger than sesame seeds. However, removing microplastics from water has become a little simpler thanks to a clever design created by student Eleanor Mackintosh. She won the Natural Robotics Contest at the University of Surrey with her 3D robot fish, Gillbert, which sucks up these tiny plastics.

Dr. Robert Siddall, a university instructor, organised the contest, which asked students to submit concepts for animal-inspired robots. The only other prerequisite was that the robots had to assist the planet in some way. The university would next bring the winning entry to life. This means that Gillbert was turned from a paper concept into a 3D-printed prototype in the Mackintosh case. The fish has gills lined with mesh that filter water, and it is roughly the size of a salmon. As it swims around, the microplastics are kept inside a container. The microplastics can be recycled when Gilbert is eliminated.

Because Gilbert's design is open source, anyone may use a 3D printer to make their own plastic-filtering fish.