UWE developers hail the robot that feeds itself

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A robot prototype able to scavenge its energy from the dirty water it’s swimming in has been developed by academics at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Bristol BioEnergy Centre, based at the University of the West of England. Most robots require recharging or refuelling, often requiring human involvement.” Hemma Philamore, a PhD student at the laboratory, added: “We anticipate that the Row-bot will be used in environmental clean-up operations of contaminants, such as oil spills and harmful algal bloom, and in long-term autonomous environmental monitoring of hazardous environments, for example those hit by natural and man-made disasters.” The prototype robot combines two subsystems: a bio-inspired energy source and bio-inspired actuation. Mimicking the feeding mechanism of the water boatman, which employs a broad, beak-like mouth to sweep in both fluid and suspended particulate matter, the Row-bot feeds its MFC stomach by opening and closing the mouth-like orifice at each end of the MFC, through the bending of a flexible acetate envelope structure. Professor Ioannis Ieropoulos, director of the Bristol BioEnergy Centre, added: “This is a proof-of-concept robot, which follows the EcoBot line of work that is developing autonomous robots capable of generating their energy from the environment they operate in.