WE PRESENT A SWARM OF ROBOTS THAT SEARCH FOR LITTER. BEACHBOT (.BB) AND MAPP ARE DESIGNED FOR OUTDOOR WORK, SUCH AS ON BEACHES AND IN PARKS. THEY ARE PROGRAMMED WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO EFFICIENTLY MAP AND COLLECT LITTER
By using our game app anyone can contribute to make the robots smarter.
This little robot is cleaning up our beaches, one cigarette butt at a time
The plastic proble
Marine litter harms wildlife, which can become entangled in it or ingest it, causing injury, drowning or suffocation. It is also a problem for coastal communities which rely on clean beaches for tourism, fishing and recreation. As well as trash being left behind by beach visitors, beach pollution is also caused by plastics and other non-biodegradable waste being discarded into rivers and streams, eventually making its way to the ocean.
OUR SOLUTION
Hi there!
I'm .BB, a robot demonstrator, able to drive around, detect, recognize and pick up small litter. I'm equipped with cameras to hunt for litter. While driving, I will 'see' litter, because I can recognize this on the basis of a trained algorithm. I use a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a self-learning algorithm that can make connections. To feed my algorithm it is very important that I'm provided with a good and large amount of training data. The training data must be diverse, so that I can see litter in all light conditions and all shapes and sizes.
I'm .BB, a robot demonstrator, able to drive around, detect, recognize and pick up small litter. I'm equipped with cameras to hunt for litter. While driving, I will 'see' litter, because I can recognize this on the basis of a trained algorithm. I use a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a self-learning algorithm that can make connections. To feed my algorithm it is very important that I'm provided with a good and large amount of training data. The training data must be diverse, so that I can see litter in all light conditions and all shapes and sizes.
In addition to cleaning up litter, my main added value is data collection.
By giving me a function in public space and my interaction with people, I also want to contribute to social discussion and awareness around the effects of littering.
By giving me a function in public space and my interaction with people, I also want to contribute to social discussion and awareness around the effects of littering.
I will soon be able to estimate for myself with how much certainty I know what lies ahead and what it is. The probabilistic algorithm indicates the probability. For example, if I soon expect to see that there is a can in front of it with 80% certainty, I'll be programmed so that I will take it with me. When I'm not sure what type of litter is in front of me, I will take a photo with a GPS tag.
I'll ask the public to advise me online via a mobile app and with the support of a mixed reality game.
I'll ask you "what is this?" And will then ask you to annotate and label the photo.
This information is sent back to the me.
So basically, you can make me smarter!
I'll ask the public to advise me online via a mobile app and with the support of a mixed reality game.
I'll ask you "what is this?" And will then ask you to annotate and label the photo.
This information is sent back to the me.
So basically, you can make me smarter!
Most of the litter found on beaches is plastic, making up nearly 90% of all waste on some beaches, according to OSPAR, which monitors litter on beaches in the north-east Atlantic. This plastic takes years to degrade, with researchers estimating that 8 million tonnes of it ends up in our ocean each year.
