Cobots, like self-driving cars, navigate on their own to remove pollutants… The world’s best marine control robot Park Kyung-taek, CEO of KOAI, “Exploration of new markets, job creation effect in related materials, machines and processes will be high” 1437 marine pollution accidents in the last 5 years, average 271 cases per year, pollutant leakage 1,768,900ℓ
Every time so many marine pollution accidents occur, we cannot expect public service like the case of the Taean oil spill. In order to minimize pollution in the marine environment, efficient pollutant recovery through prompt dispatch is essential. The solution that has emerged as the most efficient control system for this is the marine spill oil recovery control robot ‘KOBOT’. The cobot is an ‘unmanned operation oil recovery robot’ jointly developed by ‘KOAI’, a company specializing in marine pollution control, with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Korea Maritime and Ocean University, and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST). Like self-driving cars, cobots navigate on their own to retrieve oil or pollutants. The robots developed so far are connected to ships or connected to docks and long hoses, making it virtually impossible for robots to work alone. The cobot receives coordinates from a drone launched within 1km of the oil spill, visits the contaminated site on its own, and collects and stores oil when it detects oil in the vicinity.
Numerous technologies have been applied to cobots, but the core technology is ‘nano processing technology that realizes ultra-hydrophilic properties’. The filter developed with this technology is applied to the oil float attached to the cobot. It is a filter made using nano materials that allows water to pass through and prevents oil from escaping. This filter detects and captures not only oil but also 23 chemicals (floating HNS) such as benzene and toluene that are harmful to the human body when they are floating on the surface of the water. In September, after a demonstration at Klang Port, Malaysia’s largest port, cobots and equipment worth 100 million won were sold. At the ‘Oil and Gas Exhibition (ADIPEC) 2022’ held in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the support of Busan City and the Busan Economic Promotion Agency from the beginning of this month, seven types of control equipment, including cobots, are on display until the 3rd of next month. The KOAI booth is crowded with many buyers who want to check the During the ADIPEC period, Mohammad Al Barak, CEO of BCI, which has a strong business base in Kuwait and Dubai, signed an MOU and an exclusive supply contract to target the Middle East market, exporting cobots and control equipment worth $130,000 in the first round.
CEO Park said, “We are preparing various presentations to target national oil companies and related businesses in the Middle East with our partner BCI, and we are confident that we can achieve great results.” , and it will have a high effect on job creation in the fields of materials, machinery, and processes as well as new market development.”