Meet Gilbert, the nickname of a 3D printed robot fish designed by Eleanor Mackintosh, a student from the University of Surrey.
Capable of picking up harmful microplastics from lakes and rivers, Gilbert features gills that collect and retain tiny plastic particles while letting the water run straight through them.
In practice, the bot is designed to open its ‘mouth’ and close its gills while gulping down water before closing its cavity and opening its gills to filter out and retain microplastics. As the winner of the Natural Robotics Contest, Mackintosh’s design has been turned into reality in the shape of a working prototype. Brought to life with a Prusa Mini, the glow-in-the-dark fish has already proven capable of picking up tiny particles in a UK lake.
Read more about Gillbert here: http://bit.ly/3Pm4jUx