Razer x ClearBot: A ‘Game-Changing’ Solution to Ocean Waste

Abhinav Raj, Writer
@uxconnections

Razer has partnered with Hong Kong-based waste cleaning startup ClearBot to leverage AI to reduce oceanic pollution

Only humans make waste that nature can’t digest—so Razer is making AI take care of it.

Singaporean-American consumer electronics firm Razer in partnership with waste cleaning startup ClearBot plan to deploy a fleet of AI-powered drones to remove over 100 tons of ocean waste by 2022. 

ClearBot is a zero-emission, solar-powered, self-navigating drone that uses an onboard camera and AI algorithm to detect and collect trash floating on the surface of the water. A single robot can collect up to 250 kilograms of trash on a single mission and ferry it back ashore—to be later sorted and recycled. 

Oceanic waste poses a persistent environmental threat to marine ecosystems. Each year, an estimated 100 million marine animals succumb from getting entangled in plastic waste. As the developing economies of the world move towards industrial development, the world’s waterways are introduced to an incessant variety of pollutants—including plastic debris, crude oil, chemical runoff among others that debilitate the ecological balance and enervate sensitive ecosystems.

Image: Razer Inc.

The Hong Kong-based startup argues that contemporary recovery solutions that rely on fossil fuels are inefficient and environmentally unsustainable. ClearBot provides not only a sustainable solution to ocean cleanup but also offers insight by collecting data on ocean clutter—providing leeway to impactful policy changes within corporations and governmental arms globally. 

ClearBot is partnering with Razer to make a more marketable and scalable AI-driven solution to oceanic pollution as a part of its 10-year CSR initiative ‘Go Green With Razer’. 

“We are extremely happy to have the opportunity to work with a startup focused on saving the environment”, said Patricia Liu, Chief of Staff at Razer, in a press statement. 

“ClearBot’s unique AI and advanced machine learning technology will enable and empower governments and organizations around the world to broaden their sustainability efforts.” 

ClearBot’s debut cleanup project is planned in Mui-Wo, a rural town on the eastern coast of Hong Kong. The firm plans to expand its projects in India and Indonesia soon.