Razer continues to invest in eco-friendly companies, today announcing a partnership with ClearBot – a marine waste cleaning start-up. Together, the two are working to develop robots that can be deployed in the ocean to gobble up a variety of marine plastic waste.
To be fair – they don’t technically eat plastic, but they can scoop up 200kg of waste in a single cycle. That’s a pretty impressive feat, made more impressive by the fact that the bots are entirely solar-powered. With an estimated 11 million tons of plastics getting dumped into the oceans every year, Razer’s investment in ClearBot will hopefully help sustain our fragile aquatic ecosystems.
“We are extremely heartened to have the opportunity to work with a startup focused on saving the environment,” said Patricia Liu, Chief of Staff at Razer. “ClearBot’s unique AI and advanced machine learning technology will enable and empower governments and organizations around the world to broaden their sustainability efforts. We urge other innovative startups to reach out to Razer for collaboration opportunities as we strive to make the world a safer place for future generations.”
With this new partnership, engineers from Razer will be helping turn ClearBot’s prototype into a “scalable, mass-marketable product.” As of now, the robot is outfitted with AI and machine learning technology that helps identify plastic waste within a two-meter range. Once tagged, the bot can swim over, scoop up the trash, and return to shore for safe disposal.
“The Razer team’s action-oriented approach to solving marine waste issues was extremely eye-opening. We are grateful to the team who volunteered their time for this project,” said Sidhant Gupta, Chief Executive Officer at ClearBot. “With the new model, we’re confident in extending our reach globally to protect marine waters, starting with partners which include marine harbor operators in Asia and NGOs who have already expressed interest. Together with Razer, we look forward to effecting positive change for the world.”
To coincide with the news, Razer announced a new lineup of Sneki Snek merchandise that will help save trees and push forward its sustainability goals. You’ll now find the Sneki Snek Floor Rug and Eye Mask on Razer’s online store.
If you’re interested in learning more about these plastic-eating robots, check out the official ClearBot website.