Robot clean-up crews tackle litter on Europe’s seabed

A crane-equipped ship basks in the Mediterranean sun at a marina in Marseille, France. The crane whirs as it retrieves waste from below, surfacing with an algae-coated rubber tyre.

Throughout the day, rusted ship components, fences, and heavy machinery are pulled from the depths onto another vessel.

This unique clean-up uses no crew, operating autonomously. It’s a demonstration by SeaClear2.0, an EU-funded project aiming to revolutionize marine litter collection.

Below the Surface

Backed by SeaClear2.0 and the original SeaClear, scientists and companies have created drones that autonomously identify and remove seabed garbage. This reduces the need for divers or sailors to risk their safety cleaning underwater waste.

Robots, guided by AI and overseen by humans, handle most tasks. Their onboard AI spots bottles, tyres, and other debris in camera and sonar images, distinguishing rubbish from natural elements.

“

Many projects target surface litter, but we look at the sea floor. It’s important to remove rubbish there.

SeaClear2.0 is part of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, aiming to reduce marine litter by half by 2030.

“A huge amount of litter ends up in the sea,” said Bart De Schutter, a professor at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and coordinator of SeaClear and SeaClear2.0.

Much of this waste sinks to the seabed. His research team’s main focus is finding and removing it.

“Many projects target surface litter, but we look at the sea floor,” De Schutter explained. “Removing rubbish there is crucial because it can contaminate the environment.”

Plastic litter is particularly problematic. “If plastic waste isn’t removed, it turns into microplastics, which are very difficult to remove.”

An Expanding Robot Clean-Up Crew

SeaClear and SeaClear2.0 systems work like a coordinated clean-up crew, with different drones handling various tasks.

An unmanned surface vessel reaches the target area and deploys detection drones underwater and in the air. These drones scan the seabed, identify litter, and log its location.

The surface vessel then deploys a collection drone to retrieve the debris, either by grabbing or sucking it up. For heavier items, a smart gripper can be lowered from a crane.

The team is also testing additional systems, including an autonomous barge that acts like a floating waste truck, collecting drone-gathered waste and transporting it to shore. Smaller vessels have been designed to scoop up floating litter as well.

The system’s core was developed during the first SeaClear project, running from 2020 to 2023. SeaClear2.0 involves 13 partners from Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, and Spain.

“With SeaClear2.0, we aim to collect larger pieces of rubbish,” said De Schutter. “In tests, we’ve removed rubber tyres, metal fences, and ship parts. Using a crane on the surface vessel, we can lift even heavier objects.”

Currently, this type of waste is often collected manually. Divers are sent to retrieve it or attach cables for hoisting. This process is costly and risky for divers.

“It’s about safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness,” said Yves Chardard, CEO of Subsea Tech, a French partner in both SeaClear iterations.

Drones can operate under challenging conditions, including bad weather and low visibility. “Drones will allow us to clean up areas that today are too expensive or dangerous,” he said.

Tyres, Car Seats, and Setbacks

Developing this