Eco Factor: System to suck oil from seawater after spills.
After the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon disaster, industrial designers have escalated efforts to design systems which can limit the impact of such a happening in future. While some have proposed robotic systems to clean water, some are proposing use of systems which in addition to cleaning water can also protect seabirds.
This system is based on the use of buoys which can be deployed in the affected area from aircrafts. Once in the water, the buoys inflate their tubes and stretch an onboard net. The net includes feathers which bind oil. The designer believes that swarms of such buoys can be airdropped to bind all oil present in water in their nets. After the nets are soaked with oil they can easily be lifted from the surface of water.
The device includes ultrasound systems that keep seabirds away from the spill. The buoys can also be located at sea via light signals, GPS and other tracking equipment.
Via: James Dyson Awards
