Imagine if there were a robotic fish that filtered microplastic out of the water as it swam. Well, now there is one, and it’s the physical version of the winning concept in the first-ever Natural Robotics Contest.
Announced this May, the University of Surrey’s Natural Robots Contest invited members of the public to give their concepts for animal—or plant-inspired robots capable of performing activities that would help the world.
Plans called for experts from various British and European research centers to select what they thought was the best concept, which would then be made into a real robot. Engineers would proceed to further develop the technology.
The winning concept turned out to be the plastic-collecting Robo-fish, designed by chemistry student Eleanor Mackintosh—who is a University of Surrey student. Mackintosh said, “Fish’s gills are an incredible mechanism in nature that are specialized to filter oxygen into the bloodstream—so I adapted my design from that, with the purpose of dealing with the plastic pollution in the water.”
The robot swims by moving its tail, holding its mouth wide open to-collect water and microplastics in its belly as it does so. Once that cavity is full, the robot closes its mouth, opens its gills, and pushes the water out through. A fine net attached to the gill flaps allows the water to pass through, but captures the microplastic.
In its current physical form, the 50-cm-long Robo-fish collects microplastic as small as 2 millimeters. It also uses sensors to monitor underwater environment, plus it tracks its movements within the water.
Future robots could capture much smaller particles. Other possible improvements include a faster body shape, a more powerful tail, and the ability to swim autonomously.
8. How do the participants attend the Natural Robotics Contest?
A.By handing in real robots. | B.By sending the concepts of robots. |
C.By selecting the best robot concepts. | D.By developing the technology of robots. |
9. What inspired Mackintosh to design the robot?
A.The enthusiasm for robots. | B.The function of fish’s gills. |
C.The body shape of the fish. | D.The plastic pollution in the water. |
10. What does the author intend to show in paragraph 5?
A.How the robotic fish works in water. | B.How the robotic fish is further improved. |
C.Why Mackintosh’s robot won the contest. | D.What materials the robotic fish is made of. |
11. What is the best title of the text?
A.The First Bio-Inspired Robotics Contest | B.The One-Size-Fits-All Solution to Plastics |
C.An Autonomously Operative Robotic Fish | D.A Student-Designed Plastic-Collecting Fish |