Marine pollution is a growing global concern: each year, around 8 million tons of plastic waste enter the oceans, coming from land via rivers and waterways, as well as from ships and oil platforms.
The most common waste found in the seas includes plastics of various sizes (microplastics, nets, and containers), but also paper, metals, and glass that destroy marine ecosystems or entrap, suffocate, or poison the fauna living in them.
Among the negative impacts is the increase – approximately 1 degree Celsius since 1880 – in the average surface temperature of the oceans, leading to the death of plant organisms capable of providing food and oxygen, the migration of certain marine species to colder waters and the extinction of others, and the appearance and expansion of invasive species – whose maturation and reproduction rates are facilitated by high temperatures – that destroy or compete with native species.
MUSAI will contribute to the preservation of marine ecosystems by developing technology capable of autonomously detecting waste located below the sea level.
Thanks to artificial intelligence algorithms, computer vision, and sensor fusion, data collected by an underwater camera will be analyzed by the system and transmitted in real-time to a support vehicle (such as a support boat or an ROV), enabling targeted cleanup operations in the area. The optimized data analysis, without the need for specialized personnel, will allow for more effective waste detection in terms of time, resources, and cost.
The project’s goal is to develop a high-performance prototype, tested in an operational environment by April 2025.
Cubit’s role: Partner
Website: https://www.musai.cubitlab.com/
