Scientists Develop Robotic Fish to 'Eat' Microplastics
2022-07-17
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1Chinese scientists say they have developed a robotic fish that can remove microplastic particles from water environments.
2Researchers working on the project say the robots could help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world.
3The robotic swimmers are about 1.3 centimeters long.
4They are made of a soft chemical compound.
5The robots are designed to absorb microplastics while moving through the water.
6The project was launched by a team at Sichuan University in southwestern China.
7The researchers said the robots have already performed well in shallow water and they plan to carry out more tests in deeper waters.
8The scientists reported their findings in a new study in Nano Letters.
9The publication comes from the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit organization supported by the U.S. Congress.
10The robotic fish were built to target microplastic particles, which are smaller than five millimeters.
11Studies have confirmed that microplastic pollution has been discovered in many natural environments.
12The material comes from the breakdown of manufactured plastic products and industrial waste.
13The team said the robots can be controlled by light.
14Turning "a near-infrared light laser" on and off causes the fish's tail to move back and forth, the American Chemical Society said.
15The robotic fish can swim up to 2.76 body lengths per second.
16The researchers said this is faster than most similar soft robots.
17Wang Yuyan was a member of Sichuan University's research team.
18She told Reuters news agency that the small, lightweight robot is currently being used to collect microplastics for research purposes.
19But Wang added that the team plans to expand that use so the robot fish can remove larger amounts of microplastic waste from deep ocean areas.
20The fish can take in different kinds of microplastics and even repair itself when damaged, the researchers said.
21And if a robot fish is accidentally eaten by a real fish, it could safely digest the material, the team added.
22Wang said similar robots could be developed to be placed inside the human body to remove unwanted materials or disease.
23I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Chinese scientists say they have developed a robotic fish that can remove microplastic particles from water environments. 2Researchers working on the project say the robots could help to clean up plastic pollution in oceans around the world. 3The robotic swimmers are about 1.3 centimeters long. They are made of a soft chemical compound. The robots are designed to absorb microplastics while moving through the water. 4The project was launched by a team at Sichuan University in southwestern China. The researchers said the robots have already performed well in shallow water and they plan to carry out more tests in deeper waters. 5The scientists reported their findings in a new study in Nano Letters. The publication comes from the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit organization supported by the U.S. Congress. 6The robotic fish were built to target microplastic particles, which are smaller than five millimeters. Studies have confirmed that microplastic pollution has been discovered in many natural environments. The material comes from the breakdown of manufactured plastic products and industrial waste. 7The team said the robots can be controlled by light. Turning "a near-infrared light laser" on and off causes the fish's tail to move back and forth, the American Chemical Society said. 8The robotic fish can swim up to 2.76 body lengths per second. The researchers said this is faster than most similar soft robots. 9Wang Yuyan was a member of Sichuan University's research team. She told Reuters news agency that the small, lightweight robot is currently being used to collect microplastics for research purposes. But Wang added that the team plans to expand that use so the robot fish can remove larger amounts of microplastic waste from deep ocean areas. 10The fish can take in different kinds of microplastics and even repair itself when damaged, the researchers said. And if a robot fish is accidentally eaten by a real fish, it could safely digest the material, the team added. 11Wang said similar robots could be developed to be placed inside the human body to remove unwanted materials or disease. 12I'm Bryan Lynn. 13Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 14___________________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16absorb - v. to take liquid in through a surface 17shallow - adj. not deep 18digest - v. to change food in the stomach into substances the body can use 19________________________________________________________________ 20What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 21Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.