French marine drone manufacturer Interactive Autonomous Dynamic Systems (IADYS) has launched the first version of its autonomous waste collection robot, Jellyfishbot, in the port of Cassis.
After numerous development stages and hours of testing, the unmanned surface vehicle (USV) will now collect waste and oil from the surface of the water of its home port.
According to the start-up, all operators need to do is determine the GPS points that will form the area to be cleaned on the application and the smartphone provided. Once programmed, the USV will automatically move towards the area to be cleaned and navigate the zone and avoid obstacles in its path.
Throughout the mission, the user will have remote access to video on a smartphone using an on-board camera. The operator can then take control of the robot to bring it back to the starting point, to remove and empty the net.
The USV has an average speed of one node in autonomous version, which allows it to cover an area of 1,000m² in one hour.
“This is a feature that is generating excitement from our customers. This is a real gain in efficiency for the purchasers of the Jellyfishbot because they can perform other tasks while the robot is cleaning the body of water,” explained Nicolas Carlési, founder of the IADYS.
Furthermore, the start-up has raised €1.57m (£1.34m) to further develop the solution and employ an additional ten people.
Carlési added: “This fundraising will allow us to ramp up and support the launch of the autonomous version of the Jellyfishbot in July. This new version of the robot can navigate and work in complete autonomy under the control of an operator, who can therefore, supervise several simultaneously.
“It makes it possible to address new markets, particularly in the industrial sector where productivity and personal safety are essential. The funds will also allow us to continue the development of the Jellyfishbot to make it a real Swiss Army knife dedicated to the maintenance, monitoring, depollution and preservation of water bodies.
“The idea is to offer a versatile and modular solution capable not only of collecting waste and pollution on the surface of the water in an autonomous and secure manner, but also of monitoring the state of the water body and the infrastructures in continuously collecting data (e.g. water quality, bathymetry, etc.).”
The latest investment will enable the company to expand its presence in French, Europe, South-East Asia and the Middle East.
