Startup at UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub aims to clean up plastic pollution
Company plans to launch prototype in the spring, Enquirer reports
Aiming to rid the Earth’s waterways of plastic pollution, a startup company at the University of Cincinnati 1819 Innovation Hub has developed a prototype that could contribute to solving the problem, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Recent Xavier University graduate Michael Arens is the CEO of Clean Earth Rovers, a startup that is developing a rover that can collect trash from waterways. The company has received support from the 1819 Innovation Hub, including a $40,000 grant that helped create prototypes of its rover.
The company’s prototype, the Plastics Piranha, works as a sort of Roomba for coastal waterways, Arens said. The 5-foot by 5-foot boat will be able to collect 300 pounds of waste per trip by skimming along the top of waterways, using autonomous, self-guiding technology that can detect nearby objects and avoid harming sea life.
Victoria International Marina in British Columbia recently signed on as Clean Earth Rovers' first pilot customer. The startup plans to launch the first Plastics Piranha there in the spring.
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