Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
group
Authors' Class Standing
Grace Robertson, Sophomore
Lead Presenter's Name
Grace Robertson
Faculty Mentor Name
Lisa Davids
Abstract
Project Thetis is a 35-member team comprised of 4 sub-teams including design, software, electrical and logistics. Our project aims to reduce the commonality of micro-plastics by extracting them from anhydrous sand samples. Micro-plastics are the most common form of pollutant in marine systems, but in the last year have been reported in every tested ecosystem including mountain ranges around the globe, freshwater systems, and the atmosphere. We have chosen to focus on micro-plastic extraction from anhydrous sand as it is a neglected ecosystem in current efforts to remove micro-plastics from the environment. Extraction will be done using electric force attraction between a surface with induced charge and the micro-plastics. Extracted micro-plastics will be held in the robot until they are deposited in its stationary home unit. Software will be designed to use a GPS system with geofencing to ensure the robot performs its task within a specified area. The design phase for the robot will be completed by the first week of November 2019.
Did this research project receive funding support from the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Yes, Ignite Grant
Project Thetis
Project Thetis is a 35-member team comprised of 4 sub-teams including design, software, electrical and logistics. Our project aims to reduce the commonality of micro-plastics by extracting them from anhydrous sand samples. Micro-plastics are the most common form of pollutant in marine systems, but in the last year have been reported in every tested ecosystem including mountain ranges around the globe, freshwater systems, and the atmosphere. We have chosen to focus on micro-plastic extraction from anhydrous sand as it is a neglected ecosystem in current efforts to remove micro-plastics from the environment. Extraction will be done using electric force attraction between a surface with induced charge and the micro-plastics. Extracted micro-plastics will be held in the robot until they are deposited in its stationary home unit. Software will be designed to use a GPS system with geofencing to ensure the robot performs its task within a specified area. The design phase for the robot will be completed by the first week of November 2019.