Jan 4, 2015 | By Kira
Dr. Recare, an autonomous mobile ‘doctor’ could be the solution to the growing environmental problem of overly polluted beachfronts and oceans.
Stories of accidental oil-spills fill the airwaves every year, complete with tragic images of birds covered in thick black goo, unable to fly, or lifeless fish washing up to shore. But major oil corporations are not the only ones to blame for the increased pollution of the world’s most beautiful beaches—most of the time, it’s people like us: vacationers, party-goers, or even couples on a romantic beach stroll who decide to toss their empty plastic bottles rather than take them to the nearest recycling bin.
According to the Natural Resources Defence Council, around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. This man-made material can have severe impacts on the environment and on wildlife—many marine animals die by absorbing the poisonous chemicals and toxins in the plastic or choking on what they think is food. Not to mention the simple fact that beach pollution is an eyesore; enjoying your beachside vista just isn’t the same when you’re trying to avoid stepping on broken bottles and cigarette butts.
Image of Kamilo Beach in Hawaii, known for its accumulation of plastic marine debris.
Ideally, humans would just realize that creating and then discarding plastic waste harms everybody, and would take it upon themselves to be more conscious in their purchasing and consumption habits. But, since that doesn’t seem like it will happen anytime soon, designer Mingyu Jeong has come up with a more technology-driven solution.
The answer lies in Dr. Recare. Though not an actual mobile 'doctor', Dr. Recare’s mission is nevertheless to save the planet, one beach at a time.
The automated 3D printing mobile robot is equipped with optical and acoustic sensors that can sift through the sand and detect and collect plastic trash. It can also detect existing recycling bins and collect additional plastics from them by using its sturdy mechanical arm.
The collected trash is melted down into filament. Then, using an integrated 3D printer, the filament is automatically transformed and printed into a brand new recycling bin, which is then placed in high-traffic areas on the beach, encouraging people to actually use the bins instead of viewing the ocean as one giant garbage can.
Dr. Recare’s cartridge is used for both the storage of the bins and for the melting and 3D printing process. It can hold up to six recycling bins at a time.
Of course, the environmentally-oriented, robotic MD is still in concept-phase, and designer Mingyu Jeong will have to prove that Dr. Recare is both cost and energy efficient—it wouldn’t do to have a robot designed to pick up trash that actually creates more pollution itself. Furthermore, Dr. Recare is just one part of the solution. As mentioned above, it is ultimately up to us humans to realize our errors and stop overusing plastic and trash in the first place.
At the same time, however, the concept uses 3D printing to bring attention to a very commonplace problem around the world. If anything, it’s a great example of how 3D printing can change the way we look at pollution and encourage people to pick up their own trash instead of relying on a robot.
Any project that works towards improving our planet and quality of life is worth developing. Every single day, doctors save lives. With enough funding and support, Dr. Recare could very well save us from ourselves.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
Maybe you also like:
- 5 Color/Material 3D printer launched on Kickstarter
- Portabee GO, the new $395 foldable 3D printer
- ATOM 3D Printer launches on Taiwan's 'Kickstarter', reaches goal in 4 days
- Arburg introducing unique plastic freeforming: Freeformer 3D printer
- 3Dsimo: First multi-material 3D drawing pen
- SeeMeCNC starts shipping the Orion Delta 3D printer
- Open source Repemaker 3D printer by Jose Gemez
- Innovative 3D printer prints on complex and bent surfaces
- African inventor makes 3D printer from e-waste (video)
wall-e !
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
