Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Improvement and Empirical Testing of a Novel Autonomous Microplastics-Collecting Semisubmersible

Researchers improved an autonomous microplastic-collecting robot, testing design modifications that enhanced sampling efficiency and navigation in surface water environments, moving toward practical automated monitoring of plastic pollution.

2024 arXiv (Cornell University)
Article Tier 2

An innovative approach for microplastic sampling in all surface water bodies using an aquatic drone

Researchers adapted an aquatic drone to sample microplastics in surface water, finding it produced results comparable to the standard Manta net while offering better reproducibility and improved capture of smaller, lighter particles in both river and coastal environments.

2022 Heliyon 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Design and Validation of an Eco-Compatible Autonomous Drone for Microplastic Monitoring in Port Environments

Researchers designed and tested an autonomous drone system for monitoring microplastic pollution in port environments, where plastic tends to accumulate in semi-enclosed waters. The drone collected water surface samples and transmitted data in real time, demonstrating a practical tool for high-frequency environmental monitoring in busy maritime settings.

2025 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

A Spiral-Propulsion Amphibious Intelligent Robot for Land Garbage Cleaning and Sea Garbage Cleaning

Not relevant to microplastics research; this paper presents the design and testing of an amphibious robot capable of collecting garbage from beaches, tidal flats, and the ocean surface, but does not analyze microplastic pollution specifically.

2023 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 13 citations
Article Tier 2

The Project of an Autonomous Microboat with a Laser Device for Estimation of Water Area Pollution by Microplastic

This paper describes the design of an autonomous microboat equipped with a laser device for real-time detection and mapping of microplastic pollution in water bodies. Autonomous sensor platforms that can survey large water areas for microplastics could significantly improve environmental monitoring capabilities.

2023 Devices and Methods of Measurements 1 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Exploring the Potential of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Microplastic Detection in Marine Environments: A Review

This review explores how autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with sensors could detect microplastics directly in the ocean, rather than relying on labor-intensive water sampling. Current detection methods are slow and expensive, making real-time monitoring difficult. Advances in onboard sensing technology could dramatically improve our understanding of where microplastics concentrate in marine environments.

2025 Preprints.org
Article Tier 2

Addressing Microplastic Environmental Data Gaps Through Undergraduate Research

This study proposes using underwater vehicles and standardized sampling protocols to fill data gaps on microplastic distribution in undersampled aquatic environments. The approach aims to improve spatial coverage and consistency in global microplastic monitoring datasets.

2024 Environmental Engineering Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

UAV Approach for Detecting Plastic Marine Debris on the Beach: A Case Study in the Po River Delta (Italy)

UAV imaging was used to detect and map anthropogenic marine debris on beaches in the Po River Delta, Italy, testing different image processing strategies and demonstrating that centimeter-scale spatial resolution UAV surveys can efficiently locate macroplastics before they degrade into harder-to-remove microplastics.

2021 Drones 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding and mitigating global change with aquatic sensors: current challenges and future prospects

This paper is not about microplastics. It reviews the use of autonomous in-water sensors for environmental monitoring, discussing challenges like sensor calibration, fouling, drift, and data quality in the context of tracking global change impacts on aquatic ecosystems. While sensors could potentially be applied to monitor microplastic pollution, the paper focuses broadly on sensor technology for water quality parameters rather than on microplastics specifically.

2023 Frontiers in Sensors 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Sediment Sampling With an Underwater Legged Robot: A User-Driven Sampling Approach for Microplastic Analysis

Researchers developed a novel marine sediment sampling system using an underwater legged robot designed specifically for microplastic assessment studies. The system was built to meet the requirements of marine biologists, allowing precise sediment collection at controlled depths with minimal disturbance, enabling more reliable and repeatable microplastic sampling in underwater environments.

2024 IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic sampling path planning for unmanned surface vehicle (USV) based on RRT * and Dijkstra fusion algorithm

Researchers developed a path planning algorithm for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) by fusing the RRT* and Dijkstra algorithms with B-spline path smoothing to enable autonomous multi-point microplastic sampling in coastal and surface waters, demonstrating superior performance over standalone RRT* and artificial potential field algorithms in terms of path length and smoothness.

2024 Journal of Physics Conference Series 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mini Uav-based Litter Detection on River Banks

Researchers developed a drone-based litter detection system combining high-resolution mapping, deep learning object detection, and vision-based localization that locates riverbank litter with decimeter-level accuracy, enabling automated monitoring of plastic pollution in urban waterway areas.

2023 ISPRS annals of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences 6 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Exploring the Potential of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles for Microplastic Detection in Marine Environments: A Systematic Review

This systematic review explores how autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) could be used to detect microplastics in the ocean in real time, replacing slower traditional sampling methods. While promising, the technology is still developing and faces challenges with sensor accuracy and deep-water operation. Better detection tools like these could help scientists understand how widespread microplastic contamination really is in marine environments.

2025 Drones
Article Tier 2

Object Detection of Macroplastic Waste Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Urban Canal

Researchers developed and tested an unmanned aerial vehicle-based system for detecting macroplastic waste along riverbanks and beaches using object detection algorithms. The system achieved reliable detection performance and offers a scalable tool for large-area plastic litter surveys.

2024 Ecological Engineering & Environmental Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of Mobile Autonomous Systems for Pollution Control of Inland Water Bodies

Researchers examined the use of mobile autonomous aerial and floating systems for monitoring and controlling pollution in inland water bodies, including detection of illegally dumped construction and household waste that contributes to microplastic and groundwater contamination. The study analyzes existing practices and proposes improvements for using drones and autonomous surface vehicles to enable early detection of unregulated dumping with minimal resources.

2025 Open Access Journal of Waste Management & Xenobiotics
Article Tier 2

High-Efficiency Microplastic Sampling Device Improved Using CFD Analysis

This study used computational fluid dynamics analysis to redesign a microplastic water sampling device, improving its hydrodynamic performance and collection efficiency to address the lack of standardized sampling equipment for environmental microplastic monitoring.

2023 Sustainability 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Designing Unmanned Aerial Survey Monitoring Program to Assess Floating Litter Contamination

Researchers tested drone-based aerial surveys with high-resolution cameras as a cost-effective method for monitoring floating litter contamination in coastal waters, comparing manual counting, automated detection, and modeling approaches to optimize survey design.

2022 Remote Sensing 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of an uncrewed surface vehicle and near infrared hyperspectral imaging for sampling and analysis of aquatic microplastics

Researchers combined an uncrewed surface vehicle with near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to sample and analyze aquatic microplastics larger than 300 micrometers. The approach demonstrated improved scalability and repeatability compared to traditional trawling methods, offering a more efficient way to monitor microplastic contamination in coastal waters.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Is There a Difference in Yield? A Comparative Analysis of Microplastics Sampling Techniques in River Water with a Low-Velocity Flow

Researchers compared three microplastic sampling techniques in low-velocity river water, quantifying differences in particle abundance and characteristics to evaluate which method most accurately captures microplastic concentrations in surface water environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

ANTIPARA (Analysis of Tiny Particles in Aquatic Environment): A Water Scanning Device for Microplastics

This article describes ANTIPARA, a water scanning device designed for in-situ analysis of small microplastics in aquatic environments. The tool aims to automate microplastic detection in the field, addressing the time and cost limitations of current laboratory-based methods.

2020 International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Geospatial Surveying for Floating Waste Mitigation Systems: A Multisensor Case Study on the Someșul Mare River

Despite its title referencing floating waste mitigation in a Romanian river, this paper describes a topographic and bathymetric surveying project using drones, LiDAR, and sonar to map the Someșul Mare River for planning floating structures to manage litter and protect biodiversity — rather than studying microplastics directly. It is a geospatial engineering study not specifically focused on microplastic pollution or health effects.

2025 BULLETIN OF UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND VETERINARY MEDICINE CLUJ-NAPOCA FORESTRY AND CADASTRE 1 citations
Article Tier 2

PENGUIN

PENGUIN is a proposed autonomous underwater vehicle system designed to detect and classify plastic pollution at high spatial resolution beneath the ocean surface. Current methods for finding underwater plastics are too slow, limited, or impractical for large-scale monitoring.

2020 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Particle Swarm Optimization Based Efficient Path Planning in Autonomous Marine Trash Collection

Researchers developed a marine trash-collecting robot guided by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and GPS, which uses a conveyor-based collection mechanism and sensor input to navigate waterways and efficiently collect floating plastic debris.

2025 International Journal of Enhanced Research In Science Technology & Engineering