Harnessing Xenobots to Combat Microplastics
Picture a day in your life without touching a single plastic item — from the moment you wake up until you lay your head to rest. Can you?
The ubiquity of plastics in everyday life has been due to its durability, cost-effectiveness, and versatility. But as we know, its common usage has devastated our environment, leaving dumps of plastics in our forests, rivers, and oceans.
But one of the most damaging products of plastic pollution has been elusive, killing, and indistinguishable from the human eye: microplastics.
Coming from the plastics we use in our everyday lives, microplastics are the small fragments of plastic bottles, textiles, wrappers (and much more) that measure less than five millimetres across.
Why are microplastics a problem?
Simply put, microplastics are extremely persistent. Like any plastic, they do not biodegrade, so they accumulate in the environment over time, threatening the health of the entire marine food chain while polluting the ocean. They also act as carriers for other pollutants, concentrating and transporting toxic chemicals.
But, unlike macroplastics (plastics larger than 5 millimeters), microplastics bring unique problems to the environment:
- Their small size causes them to be extremely more difficult to detect and capture. As a result, the 460 million tonnes of microplastics in the oceans of the world cannot be feasibly cleaned up without expensive actions.
- Microplastics have a higher surface area to volume ratio, allowing them to carry and concentrate significantly more toxins and pollutants.
- Microplastics are more bioavailable than larger plastics to a wider range of organisms, from plankton to fish.
- Their tiny scale causes microplastics to be unnoticeable to the human eye, resulting in the average adult consuming approximately 2,000 microplastics per year. These microplastics can cause endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health, cytotoxicity, and cancer.
- Microplastics can negatively impact industries like agriculture, fisheries, and other livelihoods and communities that rely on healthy ecosystems. An estimated $426 million dollars could be saved in just the UK if microplastics were not present.
Although microplastics are minuscule compared to larger macroplastics, they arguably have more of a extensive chokehold on the ocean. Worst part is that we do not have a feasible and effective way of cleaning up microplastics.
Microplastics isn’t like trying to catch fish in a net; it’s more like trying to sift sand from water with a strainer. Without an efficient and intelligent way of cleaning our oceans of microplastics, they will continue to threaten the marine food cycle, human health, and much, much, more.
Xenovation Lab’s solution
At Xenovation, we’re developing a cutting-edge solution towards cleaning microplastic pollution.
Our solution leverages the remarkable capabilities of xenobots, whch are bioengineered robots crafted from living cells.
What are xenobots?
(pronounced zee-noh bots)
These xenobots are synthetic, programmable, living cells. Xenobots are genetically engineered cells that use living frog embryos from Xenopus Laevis.
Taking the heart and skin stem cells from these frog embryos, we can attach different combinations of these cells together to create specific designs of xenobots. The spontaneous contraction and relaxation of the heart cells within the xenobots act as a “miniature engine” to propel the movement of the overall structure. The skin cells help the xenobot feel objects near them, and will help us collect microplastics.
The xenobots’ behaviour and capabilities emerge from the collective interactions of their cells, and we can observe and control them through the design process. We use evolutionary algorithms to physically construct precise designs of heart and skin cells to genetically modify xenobot behaviours to do whatever we want — push payloads:
self-repair,
and even self-replication.
Crazy, right?
Like any living animal, xenobots demonstrate group behaviors, such as the spontaneous aggregation of particles from joint movement patterns. We use this behaviour to allow a group of xenobots to move together, similar to a school of fish, to collect microplastics from a concentrated area.
Being made of completely biological components, xenobots are completely biodegradable and do not harm marine environments. They also do not require external energy.
Xenovation’s usage of Xenobots
Xenovation’s solution to eradicate microplastics with xenobots involves this 3 step process:
1) Data Collection
Before we can deploy the xenobots, we need to know where the microplastics are located. This is where Xenovation’s USVs and apps come in.
USVs — Unmanned Surface Vehicles
Unmanned surface vehicles, or USVs, are robotic boats that can operate on the ocean’s surface without a human crew. At Xenovation Labs, our USV’s operate autonomously, meaning they can perform its tasks without direct human intervention. It follows pre-programmed routes or can be remotely controlled by operators to navigate to specific areas of interest. The vessel is equipped with various sensors to detect and avoid obstacles, as well as to collect environmental data. With advanced microplastic detectors like hyperspectral imaging, or simply a fine mesh, Xenovation’s USV’s can quickly scoop samples of water within the area it is surveying to detect locations of high concentrations of microplastics.
Our USV’s operates quietly and with minimal disturbance to marine life and ecosystems. Its electric propulsion system reduces noise and emissions, making it environmentally friendly.
They can be deployed individually or as part of a fleet of autonomous surface vessels, depending on the scale of the waste management operation and the size of the water body being monitored.
App
But another powerful tool that we can leverage is the monitoring capabilities citizens. Similar to apps like Pollution Tracker, Xenovation Lab’s prospect app has the capacity for the detections of microplastics with caring human participants. For less regularly monitored areas of water such as ponds, small lakes and creeks, citizens can directly inform Xenovation Labs of high concentrations of microplastics.
If users find plastic pollution near a body of water, which is a prime indicator for microplastics, user can tag the type of litter they’ve found, instantly notifying Xenovation Labs.
The app automatically geotags the location where the photo was taken. This information helps build a database of litter hotspots and trends, allowing for targeted cleanup efforts and policy interventions.
With USV’s and our app, Xenovation Labs can be aware of the locations of microplastics.
2) Xenobots
Once the areas of highly concentrated microplastics are detected, this is where the xenobots are brought in. With our USV’s, thousands of xenobots can be deployed in the area, for up to 2 weeks at a time. With this amount of xenobots, we can extract tons of microplastics from the area.
Altogether, “schools” of xenobots can be used to sweep out areas of pollution, carrying microplastics until recollection. In a larger group, xenobots can greatly resist the tides of water and other environmental threats.
Xenobots have been shown to display strong group coordination skills, showing the ability to clean areas from debris.
These Xenobot schools will follow the behaviours of schools of fish, including:
Shoaling
The Xenobots can align their bodies and swim in the same direction, maintaining a specific spatial arrangement. The Xenobots coordinate their movements, with individual Xenobots focusing on and following the actions of their closest neighbours. This behaviour would be embeded within the Xenobots during the evolutionary design process, where Xenobots that display greater coordination with other Xenobots will be used.
However, unlike schools of fish, the schools of Xenobots will be held significantly tighter. In order to collectively resist ocean tides and other forces, holding a tight formation (and thus, a larger mass) can allow collective Xenobots to direct their trajectory more steadily.
Maintaining a shoaling behaviour is essential for the Xenobots towards foraging effectively, being able to repair themselves, self-replication, and avoiding predators/obstacles.
Foraging
By swimming together in a coordinated manner, the school can cover more area and share information about the location of microplastics, a behavior known as “diffusion adaptation.” The collective abilities of the school allow them to make more accurate choices about where to find and access food compared to individual Xenobots. Essentially, schools of Xenobots will navigate areas of microplastics, holding onto microplastics as they pass through them. (similar to how they carry payloads)
This behaviour expands on the Xenobots pile-making capability, which displays them as being able to collect debris into a concentrated pile.
However, in a school of Xenobots, they can navigate bodies of water while bringing the piles with them. In doing so, the microplastics can be carefully extracted at a later time.
Obstacle Avoidance
Like schools of fish, schools of Xenobots have key behaviors and adaptations that allow them to effectively avoid predators and navigate through their environment. The large number of Xenobots in a school can create a “sensory overload” for predators such as sea turtles or fish, making it difficult for them to target and capture individual prey.
Currently, Xenobot’s darker complexion can make them harder to spot from predators, and can cover the microplastic’s shimmering reflections of light.
As well, Xenobot’s have strong coordination navigating obstacle-filled environments, adjusting their behaviors to effectively maneuver around obstacles.
A prospective area of research in Xenobots is developing further behaviour to avoid persistent predators, including synchronized evasive maneuvers, like U-turns or splitting into multiple groups, to confuse and deter predators.
Self-Repair, Self-Sustaining, Self-Replication
But, unlike schools of fish, Xenobot’s possess some unique behaviours.
One of which is self-repair and self-replication. Given the skin and heart cells that they are made of, Xenobot’s can push them into controlled designs, repairing themselves or even creating more Xenobots.
This self-repair capability allows Xenobots to maintain their structural integrity and functionality, even when faced with disruptions or injuries to their body.
As well, the Xenobot’s do not require food or energy during their short lifespan.
3) Recollection
Eventually, the schools of Xenobot’s will either collect the maximum capacity of microplastics, or, the Xenobots will reach the extent of their lifespans.
At that point, the USV’s monitoring the bodies of water will recover them. With technologies such as predictive machine learning (to predict Xenobot movements), computer vision, and routine sample analysis, the USV’s can predict endpoints of schools of Xenobots.
Compared to traditional cleanup methods like manual collection or filtration systems, Xenovation Labs offers many economic advantages. Xenobots can access hard-to-reach areas, and in the next few years, will be able to navigate through these complex environments in the ocean. We estimate that in the coming years, approximately 50,000 Xenobots working together can collect 1 ton of microplastics in about a day. Their biodegradable material eliminates the need for disposal procedures and also minimizes the long-term environmental impact usually associated with cleanup costs.
According to National Geographic, there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface. That is a staggering amount, which needs cleaning. With our algorithm, Xenobots’ collective effort will be 10x more efficient than if they work individually.
Let’s assume that Xenovation targets a large area, like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which covers approximately 1.6 million square kilometers. Our Xenobots can cover an area of about 10 square kilometers together. Regarding costs, producing each Xenobot costs approximately $50, considering factors such as materials, labor, and equipment. With 5,000 Xenobots needed for this operation, the production cost would be around $2.5 million.
This process will take about 6 months to complete. Overall, while there are upfront costs associated with producing and deploying Xenobots, their efficiency and effectiveness in microplastic cleanup make them a cost-effective solution compared to traditional methods. Plus, their biodegradable nature minimizes the long-term environmental impact, which is both economically and environmentally beneficial.
The removal of microplastics creates a future of improved marine life, human health and economic benefits.
Marine animals, from tiny plankton to large whales, would suffer less harm from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic debris. This would lead to healthier ecosystems and more stable marine food webs.
Additionally, with fewer microplastics in the ocean, there would be reduced risk of these particles entering the human food chain through seafood consumption. This would potentially lower the risk of health issues related to ingesting microplastics, although more research is needed to fully understand the health impacts.
Lastly, coastal economies that depend on tourism and fisheries would likely benefit from cleaner waters and healthier marine ecosystems. Cleaner waters mean the revival of coastal communities and the tourism industry.
For example, national fisheries in Mozambique lose $88,892,000 a year from specifically microplastics damaging their quality of goods.
At Xenovation Labs, we are leading the charge against microplastic pollution. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to invest in a cleaner, brighter future. Join us and be at front of the solution.
Thanks for reading!
