Papers

61,005 results
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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)
Article Tier 2

Towards Accessible Aquatic Cleanup: A Low-Cost Solution for Floating Waste Extraction

Researchers designed and tested a low-cost autonomous floating waste extractor using a conveyor mechanism to capture lightweight surface pollutants including microplastics, demonstrating high efficiency in capturing debris and offering an affordable solution for resource-constrained settings.

2025 SciEn Conference Series Engineering
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
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
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

“WAVECLEAN” – An Innovation in Autonomous Vessel Driving Using Object Tracking and Collection of Floating Debris

Researchers designed an autonomous vessel called WAVECLEAN that uses object-tracking technology to identify and collect floating marine debris, including plastics. The system combines camera-based detection with machine learning to navigate waterways and gather waste without human operation. The study demonstrates a technology-driven approach to addressing plastic pollution in harbors, rivers, and coastal areas.

2024 7 citations
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

Biomimetic design of a microplastic-absorbing robot for recycling detection application in aquatic environments

Researchers designed a biomimetic aquatic robot inspired by the filtration mechanism of sabellid worms to collect and detect microplastics smaller than 100 micrometers from water. The robot mimics the feather-like crown structure these worms use for efficient particle capture, targeting the smallest and most challenging microplastic particles. The study proposes this bio-inspired approach as a potential tool for both environmental cleanup and monitoring of microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.

2026 Advances in Engineering Innovation
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

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

Design of clean energy based microplastic collection device

Researchers developed a clean energy-powered microplastic collection device designed to capture plastic particles smaller than 5 mm from aquatic environments, leveraging the chemical stability and persistence of microplastics as a design challenge.

2024 Journal of Physics Conference Series
Article Tier 2

FindingPlastic: Underwater Plastic Bag Detection and Retrieval

Engineers developed an automated system using artificial intelligence to detect, track, and capture floating plastic bags underwater before they break down into microplastics. The system combines modern object detection and tracking algorithms and was successfully tested in a tank environment, offering a potential tool for robotic ocean cleanup efforts.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Design and Development of Smart Beach Debris Collection and Segregation System

Researchers designed and built a smart automated system for collecting and segregating beach debris, using sensors and robotics to identify and sort plastic waste from natural material on shorelines. The system demonstrated effective separation of plastic debris in field tests.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Autonomous Beach Cleaner Robot: A Mechatronic and Control Approach for Sustainable Coastal Pollution Management at Peru

Researchers designed an autonomous solar-powered beach cleaning robot for Peru that uses ultrasonic sensors and a sieving mechanism to detect and collect microplastics and other coastal debris, following a V-model design methodology.

2024 1 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

Towards More Efficient EfficientDets and Real-Time Marine Debris Detection

Researchers improved the efficiency of a class of AI-based object detection systems called EfficientDets for real-time identification of marine debris underwater. Their optimized models achieved better accuracy while running faster, making them more practical for use on autonomous underwater vehicles. This technology could help enable automated detection and removal of ocean plastic waste, which breaks down into harmful microplastics over time.

2023 IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 49 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

Multiobjective Environmental Cleanup with Autonomous Surface Vehicle Fleets Using Multitask Multiagent Deep Reinforcement Learning

Autonomous surface vehicles were programmed for multi-objective environmental cleanup operations targeting floating debris and microplastics in water bodies. The study demonstrates how robotics and AI can be applied to scale up active microplastic removal from surface waters.

2025 Advanced Intelligent Systems 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Novel Multi-Robot Task Allocation Model in Marine Plastics Cleaning Based on Replicator Dynamics

This paper proposes an algorithm for coordinating multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to clean up marine plastic pollution more efficiently. Better robotic systems for ocean plastic collection could help address the vast amounts of plastic debris accumulating in marine environments.

2021 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Robotic Vacuum Cleaner for Microplastics

Researchers developed a robotic device capable of vacuuming up tiny plastic particles floating on the surface of water bodies, offering a new tool for cleaning up microplastic pollution in lakes, ponds, or coastal areas. The device represents a step toward automated, scalable approaches for removing microplastics from aquatic environments.

2025 Physics
Article Tier 2

AI – Driven Marine Debris Detection for Ocean Conservation

Researchers developed an AI-driven marine debris detection system using the YOLOv8 deep learning model trained to identify plastic waste in challenging underwater conditions including low visibility and complex backgrounds. The system aims to provide scalable, automated monitoring to support ocean conservation and guide debris removal efforts.

2025
Article Tier 2

Autonomous Design of a Green Sea-Cleaner Boat

Researchers developed an autonomous sea-cleaner boat design incorporating LiDAR sensors and a convolutional neural network camera system for marine debris identification and collection. Parametric studies of catamaran hull configurations found the 'Flat-Outside Model' produced the lowest wave elevation and hydrodynamic force, making it the most environmentally preferable hull design for autonomous marine cleanup operations.

2024 BIO Web of Conferences
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

Sustainable Electromechanical Solution for Floating Marine Litter Collection in Calm Marinas

Engineers developed the "Waste out of Water" (WoW) device — a low-energy electromechanical skimmer designed to collect floating marine litter including microplastics, plastic bags, and hydrocarbons from the calm surfaces of ports and lagoons before they disperse into open water. The device addresses common problems with existing systems like clogging and high power consumption, and early tests showed promising results. Intercepting plastic waste at harbors and marinas before it reaches the open ocean is a practical strategy for reducing the microplastic load in marine environments.

2024 3 citations