Rwanda Coding Academy Students Develop Fish-Inspired Robot to Fight Water Pollution
Plastic pollution is a global threat that affects land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems today. It is considered as a major driver of biodiversity loss and contributes to climate change.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over 460 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year but only 10% is recycled, leading to widespread pollution.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that “an estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic litter end up in the environment every year.”
A team of five students from Rwanda Coding Academy (RCA) has identified plastic pollution as a significant environmental issue, affecting 17% of endangered species and human life by polluting ecosystems and damaging marine resources.
In response, they have created an inventive solution to combat water pollution in natural bodies of water. Their project, named “Fishot,” is a robot inspired by fish that is equipped with advanced sensors. This robot is capable of consuming smaller pieces of plastic in the water, as well as attaching to and disposing of larger debris.
Gisele Migisha, Project Manager, explained, “In our efforts to protect the environment, we chose to create a robot that mimics the appearance of a fish to avoid alarming real fish.”
“This robot is equipped with cameras and sensors that can detect various types of plastic waste in water. It will collect and store the plastic waste until its storage capacity is reached. Any large pieces of plastic will be captured and removed from the water.” She added
The group of students said that the experiment has been conducted in aquariums and small swimming pools where they put plastic in the water and other different wastes, for example small papers. The robot successfully learnt to separate the plastic from the papers, swallowed the plastic and it came back.
“The problem of water pollution is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Our project, if implemented, would contribute in this regard”, Jean Dieudonné Muneza, Project Innovator, said.
According to Lisa Shima, Resources Manager, when the plastic is removed from the water, there will be a need to find ways to recycle them.
Apart from helping to getting clean water, this project, if implemented, will benefit those working in other sectors including agriculture and health. For example, for farmers who are facing the problem of plastic blocking the water pipes during irrigation, that problem will be solved.
These students say they are targeting the Sustainable Development Goals, typically goal 14 and six which are about conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources, and access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, respectfully.
Rwanda Coding Academy is a special model school incepted by the Government of Rwanda. It is a hybrid of general education and TVET. It teaches Software Development, Embedded Systems Programming and Cyber-Security. The school was established in 2019 in Nyabihu District, Western Province.
For the students’ projects to be implemented, the Government of Rwanda is planning to set up a fund to support the best ones.
“Students are doing different projects and that is what we encourage them to do. After they have done it, the next thing is to see how these projects can go from ideas to businesses”, Eng. Paul Umukunzi, Director General of Rwanda TVET Board, said.
