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<ul><li><keyword id="2681360" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="beachbot">BeachBot</keyword> with its puffy tyres and gripper arms detects and picks up <keyword id="831902" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cigarette-butts">cigarette butts</keyword>.</li><li>This is a prototype and it has been developed by Edwin Bos and Martijn Lukaart, co-founders of <keyword id="11725129" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="techtips">TechTips</keyword>.</li><li>BeachBot has successfully picked 10 <keyword id="25430" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="cigarette">cigarette</keyword> butts in 30 minutes in its first demo.</li></ul>Entrepreneurs Edwin Bos and Martijn Lukaart may have come up with a solution to clean cigarette butts from <keyword id="6396451" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="beaches">beaches</keyword>. Bos and Lukaart have built a Mars rover-like beach-cleaning machine ‘BeachBot’ that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to find cigarette butts thrown on the beach, and pick them up. ‘BB’, short for BeachBot, has proved to find even those partially buried in the sand. The prototype machine completed its first demo last September and is slated for another one this summer. The idea behind BB came up when Bos and his two kids were visiting Scheveningen Beach that’s situated 4.5 km from the Dutch coast, and his son found a cigarette butt as he dug into the sand. Bos thought about how beach visitors should be more mindful about keeping the area clean, and also of a solution for the problem. This resulted in Bos and Lukaart, co-founders of TechTics, a consultancy that works to resolve social issues with technology. The team decided to go for cigarette butts first since it’s the most littered item in the world. In the future, they plan on adding more litter items other than cigarette items. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="How BeachBot operates" comment="subhead" text="How BeachBot operates">How BeachBot operates</cmsannotation> BeachBot is around 80-centimeters wide, and it has two onboard cameras that it uses to look ahead and look down. The bot is also designed to avoid people and objects. To grab the cigarette butts, BB uses two gripper arms that it lowers and then pushes into the sand. The cigarette butts are then thrown into an internal bin. It can currently run for an hour on battery power. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="AI behind BeachBot" comment="subhead" text="AI behind BeachBot">AI behind BeachBot</cmsannotation> It uses AI that has been specifically developed to detect cigarette butts. This required the TechTics team to feed the beach rover and its AI photos of cigarette butts lying in various states. TechTics uses the <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> Trove app that provides AI developers with photos shared by people. It has so far collected 200 such photos and plans to collect 2,000 photos so BeachBot can find cigarette butts stuck just about anywhere. <div type="Youtube" id="7E45f46yDFI" title="Cigarette butts have finally met their nemesis: BeachBot, an AI-enabled robot" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7E45f46yDFI/mqdefault.jpg"></div> During its first demo last year at World Cleanup Day, BeachBot managed to find 10 cigarette butts in 30 minutes. This may not sound impressive but it’s only the first prototype, and BeachBot is still learning. There are cleaning robots out there but for wide-scale cleaning like ocean debris or garbage from rivers. BeachBot is comparatively smaller but the idea behind this isn’t only about the technology but also about getting humans to do their part. Bos envisions a future where people and robots can work together in keeping the beach clean. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Future plans" comment="subhead" text="Future plans">Future plans</cmsannotation> TechTics plans on adding two smaller companion rovers that will help BeachBot in detecting cigarette butts. These smaller machines will essentially scout the beach to look for cigarette butts and alert BB when they find one. TechTics wants the three machines as a trio for their beach-cleaning mission. A bigger plan for BeachBots and similar machines is to work autonomously and run on solar energy. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/insider-reviews/best-robot-vacuum-cleaners-in-india-for-a-clean-home/articleshow/78807546.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Best robot vacuum cleaners in India for a clean home</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meet-amazonaposs-new-robots-designed-to-reduce-warehouse-injuries/slidelist/83639164.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Meet Amazon's new robots designed to reduce warehouse injuries</a>

Meet BeachBot, a beach rover that uses AI to remove cigarette butts from beaches

<ul><li>The lightweight flexible <keyword id="6407740" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fabric">fabric</keyword> has been 3D-printed from nylon plastic polymers.</li><li>It stiffens up when put inside a vacuum-packed plastic envelope.</li><li>The fabric could be used for making protective gear, exoskeletons and even erect temporary bridges.</li></ul><keyword id="6367929" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="scientists">Scientists</keyword> from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a flexible fabric that looks like a normal cloth but can transform into a hard material. This is a new ‘chain mail’ fabric that can actually stiffen on demand — something similar to Batman’s bulletproof cape. It’s a lightweight fabric in nature, and it has been 3D-printed from nylon plastic polymers. It is also made up of hollow eight-sided triangular shapes that interlock with each other. The chainmail fabric can also be made from 3D printed aluminium that can be even be used to withstand an even stronger impact. <div type="image" title="fabric 3" msid="85267779" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When the fabric is put inside a vacuum-packed plastic envelope, it stiffens up to reach its rigid state. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> This fabric has the capability of toughening up on demand making it 25 times more rigid and holding up over 50 times than its own weight. NTU demonstrated holding the fabric in its natural state where it’s flexible and lightweight. When the fabric is put inside a vacuum-packed plastic envelope, it stiffens up to reach its rigid state. The NTU and Caltech scientists compare this fabric to that of Batman’s cape which is flexible but it can be used as a glider when required. Possible use cases There can be multiple use cases for this chainmail fabric. Some of the possible use cases could be to make protective exoskeletons and protective gear for athletes. It could also be used as lightweight armour-like bulletproof vests to help protect against an impact. More use cases include using the fabric to create equipment that will help the elderly stand and carry heavy loads. In the future, it could even be used to erect temporary bridges in the future. The team plans to explore more methods of stiffening the fabric such as through magnetism, electricity or temperature. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/researchers-found-that-plastic-pollutants-in-the-ocean-may-be-exciting-hermit-crabs-which-could-lead-to-disrupted-marine-food-webs/articleshow/85259554.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Researchers found that plastic pollutants in the ocean may be 'exciting' hermit crabs, which could lead to disrupted marine food webs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meet-beachbot-a-beach-rover-that-uses-ai-to-remove-cigarette-butts-from-beaches/articleshow/84759758.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Meet BeachBot, a beach rover that uses AI to remove cigarette butts from beaches</a>

Scientists discover a flexible fabric that can be used to make a real-life superhero suit

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Meet BeachBot, a beach rover that uses AI to remove cigarette butts from beaches

Marcia Sekhose

Scientists discover a flexible fabric that can be used to make a real-life superhero suit

Marcia Sekhose

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