This Dutch Man Built A Robot At 18 That Eats Trash To Save Oceans

SOURCE : NEW18 NEWS

Last Updated:April 05, 2025, 18:56 IST

Boyan Slat is enthusiastic about developing massive projects to solve global issues.

Boyan Slat, a Dutch inventor and entrepreneur who was born on July 27, 1994, is driven to develop massive projects that tackle global issues. He founded and serves as CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit dedicated to creating and expanding technologies that will remove plastic from the world’s oceans. By 2040, the organisation wants to eliminate 90 per cent of the floating plastic in the water.

Do you know how The Ocean Cleanup organisation started?

Paul Balsom, Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Advisor for firms in the water and environmental industries, posted a lengthy thread on X explaining how this young man (Boyan Slat) built a trash-eating robot to save the oceans.

When Boyan Slat was 16 years old and on vacation in Greece, he was scuba diving and noticed that there were more plastic bags than fish in the sea. This made him ask, “Why can’t we just clean this up?”.

He began researching the issue of ocean plastic pollution and potential technological remedies, and he dedicated a school project to refining his concept.

In late 2012, he gave a presentation at a TEDx Conference about his ideas. Due to the remarkable global success of the TEDx video in February 2013, Boyan was able to formally launch The Ocean Cleanup and drop out of his Aerospace Engineering degree.

Boyan left his Aerospace Engineering degree at Delft University of Technology with just €300 in pocket money saved up, and he began outlining his strategy, although at first, he had trouble moving forward. But that all changed a few months later when several news blogs picked up and promoted Boyan’s TEDx presentation, spreading the video globally and making the concept go viral.

This momentum made it possible for Boyan to put together a preliminary group of volunteers and start a crowdsourcing campaign that provided financing for a year-long feasibility study, which was the first significant step towards realising Boyan’s technology solutions. The Ocean Cleanup had its start like this.

Boyan oversaw the organisation’s early research, testing and idea revisions in the ensuing years, which helped it successfully reach Proof of Technology in 2021 for both river interception and Great Pacific Garbage Patch cleanup.

To stop plastic from ever entering the ocean, The Ocean Cleanup has placed interceptors in some of the most polluting rivers in the world and is working to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

What Is The Interceptor – A Robot for Rivers

It is a completely automated, solar-powered catamaran that parks in rivers and consumes trash before it enters the ocean. Up to 50,000 kg of garbage can be collected daily by it.

“Today, these trash-eating robots: Float in the Pacific, Patrol major rivers, Are backed by governments and corporations, And have removed over 250,000 kg of plastic,” a tweet by Paul Balsom read.

The Ocean Cleanup removed more plastic by 2024 (11.5 million kg), surpassing the total of all previous years.

The Ocean Cleanup employs more than 120 people from more than 30 countries, with its headquarters located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Boyan continues to be actively involved in the company’s scientific and technological work, co-authoring approximately a dozen scientific papers and numerous patents. In his capacity as CEO, he concentrates on strategy, relationships with important partners, and leading our team.

Location :

Delhi, India, India