Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Oceanography in the Age of Intelligent Robots and a Changing Climate

Researchers reviewed how robotic and artificial intelligence technologies are transforming ocean exploration, including monitoring of marine pollution such as microplastics. The study highlights how autonomous systems are enabling unprecedented data collection on marine chemistry, physics, geology, and biology, supporting long-term environmental monitoring efforts.

2025 Oceanography 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances on Underwater Soft Robots

This paper describes advances in underwater soft robots made from flexible materials that can adapt to ocean environments. While not directly related to microplastics, these robots have potential applications in ocean monitoring and environmental cleanup. The review covers the materials, movement patterns, power systems, and sensing capabilities that could eventually help address marine plastic pollution.

2023 Advanced Intelligent Systems 86 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
Review Tier 2

A Review of Recent Advances in Microplastic Research and ROVs to Aid the Development of an Integrated Solution for Microplastic Pollution

This review examines recent advances in microplastic detection and filtration research alongside remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology, with the goal of developing integrated solutions for microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. Researchers found that combining advanced detection methods with underwater robotic platforms offers a promising pathway for real-world microplastic monitoring and removal, particularly in deep or inaccessible marine and freshwater systems.

2025 International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology
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

Micro/nanorobots for remediation of water resources and aquatic life

Not relevant to microplastics — this review covers micro/nanorobot technologies for water pollution control, focusing on propulsion methods and decontamination mechanisms for biological and chemical pollutants broadly, with only passing mention of plastics.

2023 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 13 citations
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

How to Deal With Seafloor Marine Litter: An Overview of the State-of-the-Art and Future Perspectives

This review examined the state of the art for detecting and removing marine litter from the seafloor, finding that while surface and beach litter has received substantial attention, seafloor litter remains understudied and that emerging technologies including underwater robotics offer promising future cleanup pathways.

2020 Frontiers in Marine Science 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Intelligent Technology as a Strategic Tool for Sustainable Development: A Five-Year Systematic Analysis

This review surveys marine intelligent technology—including autonomous underwater vehicles, sensor networks, and AI-based monitoring systems—as strategic tools for sustainable ocean management, including microplastic detection and marine pollution surveillance.

2025 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Garbage Collecting Robot for Marine Microplastics

Researchers developed a garbage-collecting robot designed to remove plastic debris from coastal areas before it degrades into microplastics, addressing the logistical challenge of cleaning extensive shorelines with minimal human labor and resources.

2025 The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec)
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

Beach Cleaning Robots a Comprehensive Survey of Technologies Challenges, and Future Directions

This paper is not relevant to microplastics; it is a survey of robotic technologies and methodologies for automated beach cleaning and litter removal.

2023 International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Artificial intelligence for modeling and reducing microplastic in marine environments: A review of current evidence

This review examines how artificial intelligence is being applied to address marine microplastic pollution, including modeling accumulation zones, developing real-time detection systems using remote sensing and robotics, and creating AI-based filtration technologies. The study suggests that while AI holds significant promise for predicting microplastic flows and supporting targeted cleanup efforts, challenges remain around data availability, model refinement, and international collaboration.

2026 Marine Pollution Bulletin
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

Advancing microplastic pollution management in aquatic environments through artificial intelligence

This review examines how artificial intelligence and robotics are being applied to tackle microplastic pollution in aquatic environments, covering waste collection, particle identification, and degradation monitoring. Researchers highlight several successful AI-driven projects deployed by countries and organizations around the world. The study suggests that integrating AI with traditional environmental methods holds significant promise for improving both the speed and accuracy of microplastic management.

2025 Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanorobots for efficient removal and degradation of micro/nanoplastics

This paper reviews how tiny self-propelled robots at the micro and nanoscale could be used to capture and remove microplastics from water. These robots can be designed to target specific types of plastic particles and move through water on their own, offering advantages over traditional filtration methods. While still in early development, this technology could eventually provide a practical way to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water and aquatic environments.

2023 Cell Reports Physical Science 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano/Microplastics Capture and Degradation by Autonomous Nano/Microrobots: A Perspective

This perspective article explores how tiny self-propelled nano- and microrobots could be used to capture and break down microplastic and nanoplastic particles in water. Researchers reviewed recent advances showing these autonomous robots can efficiently collect plastic particles through enhanced physical interactions as they move through contaminated water. The technology represents a promising but still early-stage approach to actively cleaning up plastic pollution at scales too small for conventional methods.

2022 Advanced Functional Materials 98 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Garbage Collecting Robot for Marine Microplastics

This paper describes the design of a robot intended to collect microplastics from beaches, addressing the practical challenge that hand collection of scattered, tiny plastic particles is impractical at scale. Laboratory experiments characterized how sand behaves under the robot's excavation mechanism, providing engineering data for building autonomous marine microplastic cleanup devices.

2024 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Smart Ocean Cleanup: An AI-Integrated Autonomous System for Marine Waste Management

This paper presents an AI-powered autonomous boat system designed to detect and collect marine pollution — including plastics, oil spills, and microplastics — using deep learning image classification, IoT sensors, and robotic collection mechanisms. The system demonstrated over 94% accuracy for pollutant detection and classification across several AI models. While focused more broadly on ocean cleanup technology than on microplastic science specifically, it demonstrates how AI-integrated robotics could help address the practical challenge of removing plastic waste from ocean surfaces before it breaks down further.

2025 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Artificial intelligence-empowered collection and characterization of microplastics: A review

This review examines how artificial intelligence tools like robots and machine learning are being used to collect, identify, and characterize microplastic pollution more efficiently. Better detection technology matters for human health because accurately measuring microplastic contamination in water and soil is the first step toward understanding and reducing our exposure.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 41 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel autonomous microplastics surveying robot for beach environments

Researchers developed a novel autonomous robotic platform for detecting and chemically analyzing microplastics on beach surfaces, using a camera mounted on a robotic arm end effector to scan areas and identify particles smaller than 5 mm. The mobile manipulator system automatically locates and chemically characterizes microplastics in situ, addressing the challenge of large-scale environmental monitoring in coastal environments.

2025 ArXiv.org
Article Tier 2

Development of Garbage Collecting Robot for Marine Microplastics

Researchers designed and developed an autonomous cleaning robot for collecting marine microplastics scattered on beaches, using a conveyor belt and tray system to mechanically gather and retain small plastic particles. The study addresses the practical difficulty of manually collecting dispersed microplastics and demonstrates the robot's configuration and operational concept for beach remediation.

2024 The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec)
Article Tier 2

Managing Marine Environmental Pollution using Artificial Intelligence

This review explores how artificial intelligence technologies are being developed to monitor and manage marine environmental pollution, including plastic contamination. The study suggests that AI-based approaches such as automated detection and predictive modeling offer promising opportunities for understanding ocean pollution and supporting sustainability goals.

2021 Maritime Technology and Research 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Automatic Beach Cleaning Robot

Researchers designed a portable automatic beach cleaning robot for collecting plastic debris from sandy beaches to reduce marine pollution and protect aquatic ecosystems.

2023 INTERANTIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT