Dolphin shaped mini robot developed to clean oil spills

13:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Dolphin shaped mini robot developed to clean oil spills

Engineers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a remote controlled mini robot shaped like a dolphin designed to remove oil from the surface of water using a filter inspired by the spiny structure of sea urchins.

The prototype, called the Electronic Dolphin, is roughly the size of a sneaker and is intended to provide a safer and more targeted tool for responding to oil spills, particularly in sensitive environments where human access is difficult or hazardous.

The robot is equipped with a specially coated filter at the front of the device. A small pump draws oil through the filter into an internal collection chamber while repelling water. In controlled tests, the system recovered oil at a rate of about two milliliters per minute with a purity level exceeding 95 percent. Researchers reported that the filter did not absorb water during operation.

The technology relies on microscopic spike-like structures that mimic the surface of sea urchins. These structures trap tiny pockets of air, causing water to bead and roll off while allowing oil to adhere to the surface. This design enables the material to capture oil without absorbing surrounding water.

The underlying materials research, published in the journal Small, showed that the filter material can absorb between 15 and 65 grams of oil per gram of material with an efficiency greater than 97 percent.

Dr. Ataur Rahman, the lead researcher from RMIT’s School of Engineering, said the team aimed to create a system that could be rapidly deployed and precisely guided to areas where cleanup crews may face safety risks.

The current prototype can operate for about 15 minutes on a single battery charge, but the researchers plan to significantly scale up the design.

The team’s long-term vision is to develop autonomous robots roughly the size of real dolphins. These devices could collect oil, return automatically to a base station to empty their tanks and recharge, then redeploy repeatedly until the cleanup operation is complete.

Researchers are now working on increasing the filtration surface across the robot’s body and preparing for field tests and long-term durability assessments.

Surya Kanta Ghadei, a doctoral researcher who led much of the materials development, said his motivation was partly personal. Growing up in India, he witnessed the environmental damage caused by oil spills, particularly their impact on marine wildlife such as sea turtles. He said the project aims to give responders faster tools to protect ecosystems during future spill events.