It’s called ‘Apparatus and method for aggregate collection’, and the inventors are Varun Gadh (that’s me!), Robert Rangel and Christopher Yee.
It’s a floatable structure that can take in and agglomerate aggregate (like plastic waste). It has actuators and control systems to filter inflow and outflow, and a communications infrastructure to share information with an external control unit.
Here’s the abstract:
An apparatus and a method for aggregate collection from a water body are provided. The apparatus includes a floatable structure which includes a body having a substantially spherical surface and a storage space within the body. The floatable structure further includes an opening that forms a passage to the storage space. The apparatus further includes a control assembly coupled to the body. The control assembly controls a collection of an aggregate present in the water body, into the storage space through the opening. The collection is controlled when the floatable structure is at least partially immersed in the water body.
Here’s the background:
Various human activities have resulted in oceans and rivers being polluted with different man-made pollutants, such as pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, glass, metal, and other solids. Of all the pollutants, solid pollutants, especially plastics typically biodegrade after a long time (e.g., ˜1000 years) and are usually found in various sizes (from micro-plastics to plastic-products). As a result, these solid pollutants pose an imminent harm to marine ecosystem, especially to the marine life and biodiversity on earth.
Limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches to solve aforementioned problem(s) will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of described systems with some aspects of the present disclosure, as set forth in the remainder of the present application and with reference to the drawings.
Here’s the summary:
An exemplary aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus for aggregate collection from a water body. The apparatus may include a floatable structure that may be configured to be disposed in a water body. The floatable structure may include a body having a substantially spherical surface and a storage space within the body. The floatable structure may further include an opening in the body and such an opening may be configured to form a passage to the storage space. The apparatus may further include a control assembly coupled to the body. The control assembly may be configured to control a collection of an aggregate present in the water body, into the storage space through the opening. The collection may be controlled when the floatable structure is at least partially immersed in the water body.
Another exemplary aspect of the disclosure provides a method for aggregate collection from a water body. The method may include disposing a floatable structure in the water body. The floatable structure may include a body having a substantially spherical surface and a storage space within the substantially spherical surface. The floatable structure may further include an opening on the body. Such an opening may be configured to form a passage to the storage space. The method may further include controlling a collection of an aggregate present in the water body, into the storage space through the opening. Such a collection may be controlled when the floatable structure is at least partially immersed in the water body.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further disclosed in the detailed description of the present disclosure. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
And finally, here’s a snippet of the detailed description:
The following described implementations may be found in a disclosed apparatus for collection of aggregate(s), for example, plastic aggregates, from a water body. Exemplary aspects of the disclosure provide an apparatus that includes a floatable structure for collection and storage of aggregate(s) in vicinity or in contact with the floatable structure. Additionally, the apparatus includes a control assembly to attract the aggregate inside the floatable structure and/or to separate the aggregate from the water. The aggregate may accumulate around the body of the floatable structure and may be sucked inside into a storage space, via an opening in the body of the floatable structure. In certain instances, the disclosed apparatus may include one or more actuators which may allow the floatable structure to move (rotate and/or translate) as per a set pick-path. With the help of an anchor, the movement of the floatable structure may be restricted to a specific radius, where there may be a higher likelihood of collection of the aggregate. The collected aggregate may be removed from the floatable structure to be compacted or melted down into pellets, which may be used for several applications. In certain instances, the pellets may be melted down on a drilling rig installed in the water body. The melted pellets may be injected inside a hole dug in the bed of the water body by the drilling rig and left to decompose on its own.
