Smart River Cleaning Bot

Abstract

This paper introduces the development of a Smart River Cleaning Bot designed to mitigate the growing issue of water contamination in rivers and other natural water bodies. The bot integrates artificial intelligence for recognizing and classifying waste, along with robotic components to efficiently collect and manage floating debris. It supports both autonomous and manual modes of operation and is equipped with a robotic arm for precise extraction, a conveyor belt for bulk waste transport, and pH sensors for monitoring water quality in real time. The detection system utilizes the YOLO algorithm, trained on a custom dataset, enabling fast and accurate identification of various waste types. With its modular structure and affordability, the bot is suitable for widespread use across urban and rural settings. This solution aims to enhance waste management efficiency, minimize human involvement, and support sustainable environmental practices.

Introduction

Water contamination in rivers is a serious environmental and health issue caused by pollutants like plastics and industrial waste. Traditional river-cleaning methods are manual, inefficient, and costly, especially for large or fast-moving water bodies. The Smart River Cleaning Bot offers an innovative solution by automating waste collection with both manual and autonomous modes for flexibility and efficiency.

Equipped with a real-time camera and the YOLO AI algorithm, the bot detects, classifies, and tracks floating debris accurately, enabling targeted waste collection and segregation. A robotic arm enhances its ability to retrieve waste from hard-to-reach areas, while an integrated water quality monitoring system continuously measures pH, temperature, and turbidity to assess environmental health.

Compared to earlier systems, this bot combines conveyor belts with robotic arms, autonomous navigation, real-time AI detection, and intelligent sorting, providing a more adaptable, effective, and environmentally sustainable approach to river cleaning. The system uses a Raspberry Pi and Arduino for processing and control, supported by sensors and motors housed in a waterproof chassis.

Conclusion

The Smart River Cleaning Bot presents an innovative, efficient, and sustainable solution to address the growing issue of water pollution. Featuring real-time waste detection through the YOLO algorithm, the system can accurately identify and classify different types of floating waste, enabling effective segregation and smarter disposal. Its dual-mode functionality—autonomous for regular operations and manual for complex scenarios—offers enhanced operational flexibility. The integration of robotic arms for waste collection and a camera-based navigation system ensures precise and intelligent control. With its low-cost, low-maintenance design, the bot significantly reduces human involvement in hazardous environments, thereby minimizing health risks. This project not only contributes to cleaner water bodies and healthier aquatic life but also sets a strong foundation for the adoption of AI-powered environmental solutions.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Ankit ., Himanshu Tripathi, Sanskar Sahai. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.