Born in Roquefort-la-Bédoule, the Jelly Fish Boat is an autonomous robot that cleans the surface of the ports in a few seconds. Present in 25 countries, it embodies Provencal innovation in the service of the ecological transition.
In a few seconds, the Jelly Fish Boat, this washing robot cleans the surface of the water. It is in Roquefort La Bédoule that its story begins, in a small start-up specializing in aquatic pollution control.
« During my adolescence, I dived in the Mediterranean and saw a lot of waste when I went to my diving sites. I often left from small ports, recalls Nicolas Carlesi, founder of the start-up Iadys. I remember a small fishing port in Sicily: by the time I went to my diving site, I was literally pushing plastics ». After studying robotics and obtaining a doctorate in underwater robotics, Nicolas decided to act. « I thought to myself why not try to invent a robot that allows me to pick up what will be on the surface of the water in port areas. The idea came like this. »
25 robots in the world
The start-up has grown well. With an additional 8 to 12 million tons of plastic each year, the robot is now present in 25 countries. Today, 24 employees, some of them in Houston in the United States, are working on this robot. It is able to encircle hydrocarbons, confine them in a way to avoid rapid spread. But its field of action does not end there. « It’s a bit of a Swiss army knife. He will be able to address any type of pollution in a very simple way, just by changing a net or changing a program on the robot. It is extremely compact and completely autonomous, » he explains. Before continuing: « It is a robot that is equipped with a thruster that will allow it to move forward, retreat, turn on the spot. But also a camera, a connection that will allow him to transmit all the data to the web platform and he is geolocated. We also have sensors that will allow him to visualize what happens on the water but also under water thanks to underwater sonars to intervene in a completely automated way, to clean and acquire data on the surface of the water ». A multitude of skills that make this Provencal robot unique in the world and it has just won the ecological transition prize.
source : francebleu
