Bottom Ocean Trash Collector (BOTL)

Overview

The main objective of the design project is to create an underwater trash collection robot, and the main targeted trash will be plastic water bottles. The robot is expected to go into a depth of water of at least 15 feet attached to a tethered wire and use integrated sensors and additional electromechanical components to properly locate and vacuum the trash in the collection mechanism. The robot will have 7 incorporated motors and the framing is made out of PVC. The robot will be able to move in all vertical and horizontal directions and incorporate a suction mechanism using one of the motors vacuuming and collecting the trash in the rear container. The robot will be viewed using an ESP32 camera and feedback can be seen on a computer and attached through the connecting cable. The robot will also be controlled using a game controller for the movement of the robot in all desired motions and speeds.

Community Benefit

The aim of the project is to reduce the environmental impact of underwater trash. Plastics litter our ocean, and there are not many efforts to collect the underwater debris once they hit the surface of the ocean and coastlines. Our design will demonstrate the ability to collect the underwater trash to improve our underwater ecosystems.

Team Members

• Luke Pawlak
• Ian Bryan
• Joseph Morano
• Jason Beckford
• Keyvon Anderson
• Jonathan Batenko
• Moe Kantar

Sponsor

Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry