Remora
Industrial Design Student 2015
Robert Rouse
Royal College of Art / Imperial College London
Innovation Design Engineering
Ocean plastic pollution is a
problem. The smaller the plastic particle, the more insidious a threat
it poses to the entire ocean ecosystem. Traditionally, removing ocean
plastics has been thought cost prohibitive or unfeasible because of the
scale of the problem. The Remora system aims to change that.
By combining two technology streams, Remora offers a unique hybrid
platform. this enables it to simultaneously filter and remove ocean
plastic pollution whilst providing marine energy or thrust, dependent on
whether the variant deployed is the static generator or dynamic
thruster. Crucially, this paring means that the Remora can be deployed
on a global scale, offsetting the cost of cleaning up ocean pollution
with green energy. Furthermore, this is done whilst ensuring minimal
collateral damage to marine life through a multifaceted approach based
on carefully selected marine biology research.
Through
bio-mimetic origins, the Remora utilises an innovative mechanism to
allow for the cleaning and removal of plastic from its systems. In
essence, this allows it to feed and swallow plastic, similar to the
manner in which a basking shark feeds. Plankton, the inevitable
by-catch, is returned through this systems to the ocean, ensuring that
the only material extracted is the foreign one.
Based on the latest research completed by the ocean plastics network
at Imperial, the highest priority areas have been identified as the most
likely point for entry into the food change; phytoplankton growth areas
in coastal zones. Remora actively targets these.
