Underwater Cable Robot for Selective Marine Litter Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for marine litter removal on the seabed are either harmful to the marine ecosystem or inefficient, lacking selective and efficient technologies adapted for coastal areas with high biodiversity, and there is a need for methods that minimize environmental impact while effectively addressing microplastic degradation concerns.
Innovation Solution
A cable-based underwater robot system installed on a floating platform, equipped with motor-driven winches and extendable cables, allowing for a submersible frame with tools like grippers and suction devices to operate with six degrees of freedom, enabling selective and efficient removal of debris from the seabed and water column with minimal ecological impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional methods like fishing trawling nets or dredges are used for seabed cleaning, then large amounts of marine litter can be removed, but the marine ecosystem is highly harmed
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm with specialized end effectors enables selective local cleaning operations. Different tools (grippers, suction devices, cutting tools) can be applied to specific types of litter in specific locations, allowing targeted removal without indiscriminate disturbance of the seabed ecosystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces heavy mechanical systems like trawling nets and dredges with a cable-suspended robotic system. The robotic arm uses precise mechanical manipulation through cable-driven actuation, enabling litter removal without the destructive force of traditional mechanical cleaning methods.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If divers or small ROV are used for litter collection, then the marine ecosystem is protected, but the cleaning efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The floating platform integrates multiple functions: it serves as a base for cable winches, houses control systems, provides power supply, and can accommodate various tools on the robotic arm. This multi-functional design enables efficient litter removal operations without requiring multiple separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable-suspended robotic arm acts as an intermediary between the floating platform and the seabed. It transmits forces and motions from the platform while maintaining distance from the seabed, enabling efficient operations without direct contact that would harm the ecosystem.
3Measurement precision
If the robotic arm uses cable-driven actuation for precision control, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable system is divided into multiple independent cables, each controlled by a separate winch. This segmentation allows independent control of each degree of freedom, enabling precise positioning of the robotic arm while maintaining a manageable cable system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors and control systems to monitor the position and orientation of the robotic arm, providing feedback to the winch controllers. This closed-loop control enables precise positioning despite the inherent complexity of the cable-driven mechanism.
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 system provides high accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility in seabed cleaning, reducing the time required to collect marine litter while minimizing contact with the seabed and avoiding indiscriminate cleaning, thus preserving the marine ecosystem, and operates effectively in varying depths and terrains.
Implementation Method 1
at least three motor driven winches attached to the floating barge or boat
Implementation Method 2
a system of cables or tendons extending or extendable through the opening of the floating barge or boat, connecting the winches with the submergible frame
Implementation Method 3
a drudge hose and head... or a robotic arm fitted with an end effector, so that the tool can collect, pick, grip, cut or suction debris underwater
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention refers to an underwater cable robot preferably adapted as cleaning platform, capable of selectively and efficiently removing small and large debris from the seabed and the water column below, with minimal impact on the marine ecosystem. The cleaning platform comprises a floating barge or boat having an opening providing access to a water column below the floating barge, and a submergible frame fitted with a tool adapted for collecting debris underwater. At least three motor driven winches are attached to the floating barge or boat, and a system of cables extending through the opening of the floating barge or boat, connect the winches with the frame. A control unit controls the operation of the winches in a coordinated manner, such that by winding and unwinding the cables, the frame can be moved within a three-dimensional workspace below the floating barge or boat for collecting debris from the seabed and from the water column.