FM newsroom – cleaning, robot, innovation. A group of Italian scientists have built a quadruped robot capable of identifying litter and picking up smaller items using leg-mounted vacuums, the European Cleaning Journal reports.
The robot dog can locate and suck up rubbish with its feet
Discarded cigarette butts are said to pose a risk to the world’s oceans because they release toxic chemicals and microplastics as they break down. They are also described as being one of the most common items of undisposed waste and are often found in terrains that are hard to reach for wheeled and tracked robots. Cleaning up beaches can be challenging because the sand makes it hard to drag wheeled rubbish receptacles over the terrain.
VERO, the robot dog, has been designed to seek out small items of refuse, such as cigarette butts, on such terrain.
How it works
VERO uses a neural network and on-board cameras to identify litter items as it moves along. An operator sets up a field target for the four-legged robot, which then walks slowly across the entire area.
When VERO was tested in six different types of outdoor terrain, it was found to be able to pick up 90 % of the cigarette butts identified. The robot can also steady itself while collecting rubbish using an Intel RealSense depth camera mounted on its chin.
Design fit to carry out other tasks as well
Designed and built by a team of researchers from the Dynamic Legged Systems laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, the machine is still in the testing stage.
However, researchers say VERO’s design could be programmed and engineered to carry out other tasks such as spraying crops, looking for weaknesses in infrastructure and helping with construction projects.
Image: youtube.com/@DynamicLeggedSystemslab
