Meet the Electronic Dolphin, the Mini Robot That Cleans Oil Spills With Urchin-inspired Filters - Yanko Design

"The 'Electronic Dolphin' is a Wi-Fi-controlled minibot built to skim oil slicks from contaminated marine surfaces without deploying any chemical dispersants, and without putting human responders anywhere near the hazard. It is not the first machine built to address marine oil contamination, but it may be the first to approach the problem with this particular combination of biomimicry, material science, and autonomous ambition."

"Rather than relying on PFAS-based absorbents, which are toxic, persistent in the environment, and increasingly regulated worldwide, the RMIT team engineered a composite coating from specialized carbon layers and modified barium carbonate. The resulting material mimics the microscopic spine geometry found on sea urchins, forming tiny protrusions that trap air pockets in a precise architectural arrangement."

"In controlled laboratory tests, the prototype processed oil at roughly two milliliters per minute, achieving over 95% purity in the recovered material. The coating also demonstrated strong corrosion resistance when exposed to saltwater, and held up across multiple reuse cycles without meaningful degradation."

RMIT University developed a Wi-Fi-controlled miniature robot called the Electronic Dolphin designed to remove oil slicks from ocean surfaces without chemical dispersants or human exposure to hazards. The device uses a biomimetic filter coating composed of carbon layers and modified barium carbonate that mimics sea urchin spine geometry. This creates a superhydrophobic and oleophilic surface that repels water while attracting and absorbing oil. The filter sits at the robot's nose with an onboard pump that actively draws oil inward. Laboratory tests demonstrated the prototype processes oil at approximately two milliliters per minute with over 95% purity recovery. The coating shows strong corrosion resistance in saltwater and maintains effectiveness across multiple reuse cycles without degradation.

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