By: Tina Casey

The new green economy is putting more robots to work in green jobs, especially in environmental research and related fields.  In a sustainability twofer, many of the new machines are powered by solar energy and other green alternatives.  Click through the show to see what’s up with some of our circuit-centric friends.

1.  Robolobster

Northeastern University is developing a remote environmental data gathering robot that resembles an eight legged lobster.  The robot is designed to maneuver across rough surfaces while negotiating surging water and shifting currents, making it ideal for exploring rivers and littoral zones (ocean shore areas up to the high water mark).

Image: Courtesy of Jan Witting/Northeastern University.

2. Phoenix Mars

The mother of all green jobs probably belongs to the Phoenix Mars, which launched last year and went to work on Mars for several months with a robotic arm to dig and scoop up soil samples for on-board analysis. It also doubled as a weather station and yes, it was solar powered.  The photo montage above provides a unique look at the Phoenix on the planet’s surface.

Image: Phoenix Mars Mission.

3.  Robot Composter for the Home

Back on earth, the workhorses of the robot world are the ones that collect and recycle waste, like the NatureMill food composting robot.  This one can mix, heat and aerate fresh scraps, automatically send them to a lower chamber to make room for more, and pop on a red light to signal that a fully composted load is ready - all without raising a stink.

Image: NatureMill.

4.  Robots and Green Maintenance Jobs

One great advantage of robots is their ability to deploy in places that would put people at risk of life and limb.  Wind turbines fit that category.  The modest looking RIWEA robot operates on rope-climbing principles that enable it to scale gigantic turbine poles and inspect rotor blades for dings, cracks, and other defects.

Image: FraunhoferIFF.

5.  Robots in the Sky

Small drone aircraft can accomplish many environmental research tasks while cutting down on the carbon footprint needed to accommodate human bodies in flight.  An early demonstration of NOAA’s Altair drone involved research off the coast of Oregon and California.

Image: Altair unmanned aircraft in flight courtesy of NOAA.

6.  Robots in Agriculture

Researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory are developing an agricultural robot that can detect slugs, pluck them up, and eat them - then “digest” the slugs for energy to keep themselves running.  The trick will be developing a microbial fuel cell to extract electrons from the source of nutrition.  The lab works in partnership with the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.

Image: Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

7. Swarms of Robots

Mini-robots are another big trend we’ll see more of.  UC San Diego researchers are developing swarms of robots no bigger than a soccer ball.  They can drift with ocean currents to gather information on the micro-mechanisms that support plankton and other tiny marine creatures.  They could also guard sensitive areas or provide on-the-spot information about oil spills, plane crashes and other marine emergencies.

Image: National Science Foundation.

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Reprinted from Cleantechnica with permission from Green Options Media.

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