In a friendly competition against #MrBeast’s massive volunteer beach crew, science educator Mark Rober introduced his teammate: a floating, 50-ton, trash-eating robot called the River Interceptor. [00:22]
The video, which launched the #TeamSeas campaign alongside MrBeast, details the ingenious technology behind the Interceptor, created by the nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup (founded by Boyan Slat). [02:17].
These solar-powered, AI-equipped robots are strategically placed in the 1% of the world’s rivers responsible for carrying 80% of the plastic that flows into the ocean, cutting off the pollution at its source. [02:35] The Interceptor autonomously funnels trash floating on the surface into six large dumpsters, while allowing fish to swim safely underneath. [03:54]
Rober’s video also shed light on the complex, systemic reasons why trash ends up in rivers, such as the lack of waste management access in remote, poor communities, emphasizing that the Interceptor is a temporary, but vital, solution. [06:56]
In the end, while MrBeast’s team collected 62,700 pounds of trash from the beach, Rober’s Interceptor collected 37,000 pounds of trash from the river. [11:20].
The video urges viewers to join the #TeamSeas campaign, which will split funds between The Ocean Cleanup (to build more Interceptor robots) and the Ocean Conservancy (to fund global beach cleanups and ocean trash removal), with the ultimate goal of removing 30 million pounds of trash from the water. [09:11]
Credit: Mark Rober, Founder of CrunchLabs, October 29, 2021
