Aug 26, 2010 14:00 GMT  ·  By
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the worst environmental disaster in the history of the US
   The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the worst environmental disaster in the history of the US

A new robot will soon make its way across the surface of the ocean, with the ability to clean up any potential oil slicks it may come across.

The machinery was developed by engineers and experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who were inspired by the BP/Deepwater Horizon ecological disaster.

The massive amount of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, and the relative lack of success authorities had in cleaning the mess up, drew attention to the fact that we're still lacking a proper methods of addressing such an event efficiently.

The newly-developed Seaswarm system is in fact made up of several vehicles, which cruise the ocean's surface in sync with each other, addressing environmental issues as they meet them.

Though you may think that such a system would break the bank, researchers say that it's actually cheaper to employ than existing clean-up methods, LiveScience reports.

“We envisioned something that would move as a 'rolling carpet' along the water and seamlessly absorb a surface spill,” explains in a statement Assaf Biderman.

The expert is the associate director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, which developed the machine. It will be presented on August 28 at the Venice Biennale's Italian Pavilion.

“This led to the design of a novel marine vehicle: a simple and lightweight conveyor belt that rolls on the surface of the ocean, adjusting to the waves,” Biderman reveals.

The Seaswarm relies on the power of nanoparticles to do its job. Researchers say that it features a mesh of tiny nanoscale wires on its surface, which are capable of absorbing oil.

According to the MIT crew, the nanowires can absorb up to 20 times their own weight in oil. They can then be heated, and the oil burnt locally. This means that the meshes are reusable.

Each individual robot in the system can propel itself, via energy produced through two-square-meter solar panels on top of their bodies. The machines are 16 feet long and 7 feet wide.

“Unlike traditional skimmers, Seaswarm is based on a system of small, autonomous units that behave like a swarm and 'digest' the oil locally while working around the clock without human intervention,” explains the director of Senseable City Lab, Carlo Ratti.

The 800 skimmers that were sent to the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon disaster are estimated to have collected only three percent of the surface oil, and so the new system may receive appropriate support in the near future.