A 'robot shark' is helping to clean up a river in Leeds
The Waste Shark has been out and about tidying up litter from rivers
- Published
If you're a fan of robots, sharks or cleaning up litter - this story's for you!
A robotic drone is being used to scoop up waste as it moves along rivers in Leeds.
The robot was inspired by a whale shark, because of its big mouth and when it opens to 'feed' it catches waste in there.
So that's how it got its name, the 'Waste Shark'.
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How does the Waste Shark work?
Look at the size of that mouth! This is the whale that inspired a new litter banishing robot
The robot is controlled by someone with a remote control at the side of the water.
They steer the Waste Shark towards patches of litter and it can capture up to 500kg of rubbish!
It also has GPS and a camera too, to help the driver see what needs picking up.
The robot is being trialled in Leeds and they're keeping an eye on how much waste is being removed from the water.
Will you being see a Waste Shark near you soon?
We know that litter in our rivers, oceans and canals is a big issue. This new invention is hoping to help us tackle the problem
This is the first use of the technology - which was developed in the Netherlands - to be approved by the Canal and Rivers Trust.
Becca Dent, from the charity, said "unfortunately millions of pieces of litter end up in our waterways."
She added it was important to work in "new" and "innovative ways" to remove litter from the our oceans, canals and rivers.
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