Iranian Startup Team Manufactures Beach-Cleaning Robot

The robot uses a powerful brush, precise sensors, and lithium batteries to clean the beach environment from plastic bottles.

In a bid to settle the environmental challenge of cleaning the beaches, an Iranian startup team has designed and built a robot that automatically collects recycled waste from the beach surface to preserve the environment and reduce plastic pollution on beaches.

The robot uses a brush that is connected to a motor on one side and a holder on the other side to separate waste from the sand surface. The DC motor is responsible for rotating the brush and plays an important role in the mechanical performance of the robot.

In the electronics design section, the Arduino Mega board is used as the main memory of the robot, and four ultrasonic sensors are also used as the robot's smart eyes to detect obstacles and waste.

To provide the required energy, three lithium batteries are installed in series in the power section, and a powerful brush is also responsible for collecting waste.

The Arduino Mega shield board is designed with **Altium Designer** software, and for ease of installation of components and wiring, dedicated shields have been designed for the LCD display and sensors. Also, for precise and clean execution of connections, XH socket wires are used to easily wire the robot.

In a relevant development in July, Iranian technologists at the Center for Innovation and Development of Information Technology, Communications and Security at Niroo Research Institute (NRI) had also used robots to monitor power transmission and distribution lines and wash insulators contaminated with microdust.

“In certain sectors of the electricity and water industry that face difficult working conditions like high temperatures in power plants or equipment repairs in remote areas, the use of robots can be very effective,” said Dolat Jamshidi, the head of the Center for Innovation and Development of Information Technology, Communications and Security at Niroo Research Institute.

“At present, robots are used to monitor power transmission and distribution lines. Robots have also been used to wash insulators that are contaminated by microdust and disrupt system performance,” he added.

“Iranian knowledge-based companies, with the necessary technical know-how, are developing and producing these robots. The NRI also plays a scientific and technological support role in this process,” Jamshidi said.

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