EiT: TTK4854 - Robotic Ocean Waste Removal

Level: TTK4xxx

​Overview: Pollution of the oceans is an ever increasing problem of essential importance with millions of additional plastic pieces entering the world's seas every day. Motivated by this problem, in this village we seek to identify how robotic vessels can be designed and used to autonomously remove plastic waste from our seas and especially across areas where plastic tends to be accumulated. Throughout the semester we aim to identify "hotspots" of pollution, design and prototype a "green" robotic vessel for waste collection and removal, and identify a plan for the utilization of such technologies in Norway and the world.​​

Competency 

​We call for students from diverse backgrounds to join this multi-disciplinary project. Among others, we look for students with background in cybernetics, electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, marine technology, construction engineering, and computer science, as well as environmental science and economics. Alongside these core skills we stress the importance of critical thinking and an intrinsic motivation towards a world where we as humans have a more humble impact.

More about this EiT "village"

​Ocean waste corresponds to a critical problem for our world. Plastic is now identified in the world's deepest oceanic waters, and per the latest estimates, there are now more than 5.25 trillion macro and micro pieces of plastic in our oceans. Every day it is estimated that around 8 million new pieces of plastic arrive into seawater. Marine species ingest or get entangled by plastic debris, which in turn causes injuries and deaths. Simultaneously, plastic pollution threatens flood safety and quality, the health of our societies, and coastal cities that often depend on tourism. More broadly, plastic pollution contributes to climate change. Motivated to contribute to addressing this gruelling problem, in this project, we aim to design, prototype, and verify the potential of robotic ocean waste removal technologies, alongside outlining a plan for their utilization in Norway and the world. Accordingly, we seek to combine diverse multi-disciplinary at the team level in order to a) perform a feasibility study, b) design the vessel, c) work on its autonomous navigation technologies, d) develop the methods for waste detection and collection, e) study which regions of the world are "hotspots" of oceanic plastic pollution, and finally f) develop a viable plan that outlines how such technologies can be exploited and utilized by local societies, the public sector, and industry. To best implement this project, we aim to collaborate with additional researchers at NTNU, scientists across the world, as well as industries and public bodies in the maritime, natural resources, and environmental protection sectors.  Updates on the inclusion of partners will be provided later.

TTK4854 2022 student projects

The image below provides a visual summary of the 5 ideas worked by the 5 student groups of this EiT during 2022. The names of the teams are:
  • Group 1 - ALDAM: Aerial Litter Detection and Mapping
  • Group 2 - Project Bottleneck
  • Group 3 - TITANIC: Tethered Integrated Trash And Net Interceptor/Collector
  • Group 4 - Boat-E
  • Group 5 - Group 5 - Autonomous Path Control for the System 002 Vessels of the Ocean Cleanup Project
Picture

Study Material

• Available through blackboard

Open-Source Code

• Available through blackboard

More

• Industry presentations