A robotic fish named ‘Gillbert’, which filters microplastics from water as it swims, has won The Natural Robotics Contest 2022, a competition which judges concepts submitted for nature-inspired robots.
Successful applicants then have their designs transformed into real robots.
According to the contest organiser, every application is judged independently by the panel.
This year’s winner, ‘Gillbert’, was developed based on an idea by Eleanor Mackinstosh.
Read more: Researchers develop robotic fish that absorbs microplastics
In a video uploaded to YouTube, you can see the idea transformed into a fully 3D-printed fish with mesh-lined gills.
Robert Siddall, lecturer in robotics at the University of Surrey, said: “The fish travels round the ocean and picks up microplastics for smapling or for removal purposes.
“So we went away and did some CAD, and this is what we came up with.”
Some of the other competition entries included a bee-inspired ‘Bumblebot’ and robotic oysters, named ‘Ersters’.
