The boat was built by the Centre For Innovation Policy And Social Change.

The district administration of Lucknow, in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, has pressed into service an AI-enabled trash boat to clean the Gomti river. In a 30-day trial, the boat, built by the Centre For Innovation Policy And Social Change, will operate on the river and collect plastics, water hyacinth and other types of waste. (Times of India)

Robotic river cleaning barge for Gomti

The GPS-equipped boat runs autonomously, powered by solar panels, and is equipped with a front-facing camera that detects refuse in the water ahead and sucks it up through a conveyor belt to be deposited in a storage area in the rear of the boat. The zero-emissions barge can collect up to 200 kg of waste.

CIPSC Director Karishma Sabharwal, said of the boat: “The boat’s mesh is capable of taking out even the smallest of river waste. The boat can be controlled by a person remotely. The sensor installed on the boat brings it automatically to the shore after two quintals of waste are collected.”

After the trial run, the district commissioner asked for the boat’s capacity to be enhanced to 1,000 kg.

The boat will be handed over to the municipal corporation once the 30-day trial on the Gomti is completed.

In April, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) published a story about Clearbot Neo, a AI-enabled robotic boat that autonomously collects tons of floating garbage that would otherwise wash into the Pacific from the Hong Kong harbor.

The startup that built the boat is said to be planning to to scale up and have fleets of Clearbot Neos cleaning up and protecting waters around the globe.

Related Story: Autonomous Ship Mayflower Crosses The Atlantic