An aquatic robot has been launched to collect litter from Leeds’ waterways, inspired by the open-mouthed feeding technique of a whale shark.
Local businesses collaborated to invest in the Waste Shark, a drone that can scoop up to 500kg of waste per day from the surface of the water.
It is the first use of this technology, which includes electric motors, GPS, collision avoidance technology and a camera, to be approved by the Canal Rivers Trust on its UK waterways.
The aquatic robot will be remotely operated by social enterprise Canal Connections, though it can also run autonomously on a set route.
Canal Connections will also sort the collected waste.
The idea for the scheme was generated by the Leeds Waterfront Group, a sub-group of the West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce’s property and economic forum.
The group’s chair, Paul Ellison, said: ‘We are very pleased to have put this innovative project together with support from local businesses as well as Leeds City Council and Leeds Civic Trust.
‘We’re confident that it will generate real benefits to the city and also draw attention to the need to keep our waterways clean and attractive for all to enjoy.’
