Environmentally-friendly robots (photos)

Benthic Rover is a robot used by researchers at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to survey the seabed and gather data on environmental conditions at the bottom of the sea. By taking photographs of undersea life and measuring conditions like oxygen levels, the robot will help scientists understand how the warming of the ocean is altering certain ecosystems.

Credit: Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

One call to the Dustbot and it will arrive at your home help you throw out the trash by using GPS and other forms of wireless communication. The robot can also monitor pollution levels in the air.

Credit: Dustbot.org

Researchers at the University of Essex developed a life-like robofish that uses artificial intelligence and sensors to detect leaks and other forms of pollution and reporting what it finds to researchers via wi-fi.

Credit: University of Essex

Thermo-system’s robotic pigs cleans up sludge by using energy from the sun to remove water from sewage inside some German sanitation plants.

Credit: Thermo-System

The robotic fish was developed by Polytechnic Institute of New York University researcher Maurizio to mimic the behavior patters of certain fish species well enough to fool entire schools into following its lead. He designed the robot to guide the fish away from environmental hazards such as oil spills and underwater turbines.

Credit: Polytechnic Institute of New York University

The ZenRobotics Recycler system is a robotic arm that is programmed to separate recyclable and hazardous materials from waste.

Credit: ZenRobotics