Guilford College students are recipients of a North Carolina Sea Grant that will help fund building a robotic device to identify, pick up and sort plastic left on state beaches.

The $10,000 concept grant is being led by Chafic Bou-Saba, Associate Professor for Computing Technology and Information Systems. Chafic’s team will include two CTIS students and two Early College at Guilford students collaborating and building the device over the next year. Each of the students will receive a stipend from the one-year grant.

“I’m excited about getting started and I know the students will be, too,” says Chafic. “It’s a great opportunity for a liberal arts school like Guilford to show off students’ research and work.”

Beach clean-up technologies are hardly new, but Chafic wants to build on existing platforms to create a device that uses artificial intelligence, cameras and solar power to find, collect and sort plastics.

“We want a beach-cleaning robot that leverages Artificial Intelligence, is eco friendly, rechargeable with clean energy and is easy to maintain and smart enough to be left alone without having to use up man hours from workers or volunteers,” he says. “In the research I’ve done I haven’t found that technology is out there yet.”

Using AI and cameras, Chafic says the students will explore creating a robotic device that can be programmed to pick up plastic debris one day or cigarette butts the next. The device will also be able to detect and avoid marine biology like turtle nests and birds and plants on the beach. “We want something that’s advanced and smart and versatile,” he says.

Research initiatives like this also help enhance the student experience at Guilford, a key component of Envisioning Guilford College 2027, the College’s strategic plan.