Tiny self-propelled robo-fish can swim around, latch on to free-floating microplastics and fix itself if it gets damaged
Scientists have designed a small robot-fish that is programmed to remove microplastics from our seas and oceans by swimming around and adsorbing them on its soft, flexible, self-healing body.
Microplastics are the billions of tiny plastic particles which fragment from the bigger plastic things used in everyday life – water bottles, car tires, synthetic T-shirts. They are one of the 21st century’s biggest environmental problems because once they’re dispersed into the environment through the breakdown of larger plastics they are very hard to get rid of, making their way into drinking water, produce, and food, harming both the environment and animal and human health.
