Imagine if there were a robotic fish that filtered (过滤) 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 submit their ideas 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 institutes to select what they thought was the best concept, which would subsequently be made into a functional type. Engineers would proceed to further develop the technology.
The winning entry turned out to be the plastic-collecting Robo-fish, designed by chemistry undergrad 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 addressing the plastic pollution in the water.”
The robot swims by moving its tail, holding its mouth wide open to collect water and microplastics in an internal cavity (腔) as it does so. Once that cavity is full, the robot closes its mouth, opens its gill flaps (鳃瓣) , and pushes the water out through those flaps by raising the floor of the cavity. 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 2millimeters. It also sports onboard sensors to monitor underwater environment, plus it uses an IMU (inertial measurement unit) to track its movements within the water.
That said future style could capture much smaller particles. Other possible improvements include a faster, more hydrodynamic body shape, a more powerful tail, and the ability to swim autonomously— the current type works by hard-wired remote control.
8. How do the participants attend the Natural Robotics Contest?
A.By submitting the concepts of robots. | B.By selecting the best concept of robots. |
C.By developing the technology of robots. | D.By making the physical version of robots. |
9. What inspired Mackintosh to design the robot?
A.The body shape of the fish. | B.The function of fish’s gills. |
C.The enthusiasm for robots. | D.The plastic pollution in the water. |
10. What does the author intend to show in paragraph 5?
A.How the robotic fish filters microplastics. | 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 operating robotic fish | D.A student-designed plastic-collecting fish |