Search, Identification and Collection of Marine Litter using Autonomous Robots (SeaClear) Introduction

This presentation is giving the audience a brief introduction into one of the latest robotics research and innovation actions (RIA) funded by the H2020 framework. Within the SeaClear project a mixed team of Unmanned Underwater, Surface, and Aerial Vehicles -- UUV, USV, UAV - is developed in order to find and collect litter from the seabed and from the water column, focusing on coastal areas. The objective is to operate the robots autonomously, without remote human intervention, hence novel developments in debris mapping, classification, and robot control are planned. When fully operational, the SeaClear system aims to detect and classify underwater litter with 80% success rate, and collect it with a 90% success rate; all this at 70% reduced cost compared to divers. These features will be demonstratd in two case studies: one in port cleaning (with end-user Hamburg Port Authority), and the other in a touristic area (Dubrovnik -- with end-user DUNEA).