Autonomous Plastic Collecting Robot With Dielectric Tail
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Solution Overview
Problem
The widespread pollution of oceans and water bodies by plastic waste, including microplastics, poses significant environmental and health hazards due to the persistence of plastics for hundreds of years and their ingestion by marine life, which ultimately contaminates the food chain.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous plastic collecting robot (APCR) equipped with a net structure for microplastic collection, an artificial tongue for larger plastics, a plastic degrading medium, and a no-joint tail structure powered by dielectric elastomer materials, capable of converting collected plastics into hydrocarbon fuel and resilient steel, while utilizing bacteria to digest microplastics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional plastic collection methods are used, then plastic waste can be removed from water bodies, but the collection process is manual and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs autonomous plastic collection operations without human intervention. The autonomous plastic collecting robot navigates water bodies, detects plastic waste, and collects it using its net structure and artificial tongue mechanisms, eliminating the need for manual labor while maintaining effective plastic removal capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical collection operations with an automated robotic system equipped with sensors, motors, and intelligent control algorithms. The robot uses image processing and pattern recognition to identify plastic waste and executes collection actions through its mechanical structures, substituting human labor with an automated system
2Reliability
If plastics are left in water bodies, then no collection action is needed, but they persist for hundreds of years causing environmental damage
Solution Approach 1:
The robot is designed for continuous operation, continuously navigating water bodies and collecting plastic waste without interruption. Its autonomous operation allows it to maintain persistent environmental protection action over extended periods, addressing the long persistence problem of plastics by continuously removing them from water bodies
Solution Approach 2:
The robot converts harmful plastic waste into beneficial resources through its integrated processing system. Collected plastics are processed into hydrocarbon fuel and resilient steel, transforming the environmental hazard into useful materials while simultaneously removing the harmful substance from the water environment
3Productivity
If microplastics are collected using traditional methods, then plastic pollution can be reduced, but the collection process is complex and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The robot integrates multiple functions into a single autonomous system: navigation, plastic detection using sensors and image processing, microplastic collection using net structures, and waste processing. This multi-functional integration eliminates the need for separate complex collection systems while maintaining high efficiency in microplastic removal
Solution Approach 2:
The robot adapts its collection parameters dynamically based on detected plastic characteristics. It adjusts net structure configurations, collection depths, and processing parameters according to the size, type, and concentration of detected plastics, enabling efficient microplastic collection without requiring overly complex fixed-systems
4Adaptability or versatility
If plastics are processed into useful resources, then waste management becomes sustainable, but the processing requirement increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges collection and processing functions into a single integrated robotic system. The robot not only collects plastic waste but also processes it on-board into hydrocarbon fuel and resilient steel, combining what would traditionally be separate complex systems into one unified autonomous unit, thereby achieving sustainable waste management without proportionally increasing overall complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The APCR actively collects and processes plastic waste, converting macro-plastics into valuable resources and eliminating microplastics, thereby addressing the environmental impact of plastic pollution and providing a sustainable solution for waste management.
Implementation Method 1
the no-joint tail structure housing dielectric elastomer materials and a rotation shaft located between at least two electric generators
Implementation Method 2
a plastic degrading medium contained in the main internal container
Implementation Method 3
utilizing bacteria to digest microplastics
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and apparatus for collecting waste. In one embodiment, an autonomous plastic collecting robot (APCR) device for collecting waste may include a net structure that picks up micro plastic particles dispersed in water; a tube that transports the micro plastics collected by the net structure into a main internal container; an artificial tongue for collecting larger plastics, the artificial tongue comprised of a rolling staircase with fork-like structures in placed of the stairs; a plastic degrading medium contained in the main internal container; a no-joint tail structure which acts as the primary power source for the APCR, the no-joint tail structure housing dielectric elastomer materials and a rotation shaft located between at least two electric generators.