RANMARINE

WasteShark: the electric catamaran that cleans plastic water and other dirt

Richard Hardiman, engineer and sustainability enthusiast, created the start-up Tecnologia RanMarine in 2016, and today his first product is a reality: WasteShark.

Indeed, the small catamaran resembles in its appearance some species of fish that accumulate food by swimming with their mouths open, but what the WasteShark catches is much more important.

During its journeys in bodies of water, which can be pre-programmed, floating debris of various kinds, as well as algae, duckweed and in general everything that soils and pollutes the water where it navigates, is trapped in its plastic belly?

It is fully electric, propelled by two thrusters, and can navigate autonomously for 5 km, collecting up to 500 kg of material. It has LiDAR Sensor to avoid collisions, it can hover for 6 hours in automatic mode or up to 8 hours when controlled via 4G connection.

While responsible for cleaning up the environment, WasteShark also collects data on water quality. It does not emit noise, lights or anything else that could harm the ecosystem or the animals. In the stand-alone version, it behaves similarly to a robot vacuum cleaner, the kind that many now have at home.

When used consistently and planned, its impact can be substantial. According to Reuters reports, this robotic shark is disposing of the equivalent of 22,700 plastic bottles a day from the Thames. WasteShark can be purchased for $24,600 or rented for $1,200 per month.

by Massimiliano Zocchi