# Garbage-Collecting Water Drones The 'WaterShark' Gobbles Garbage as it Autonomously Cruises By Michael Hemsworth | Published 2016-09-14 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/water-drone References: [newatlas](http://newatlas.com/wasteshark-sea-plastic-waste-drone/45407/) & [rantech.nl](http://www.rantech.nl/home.html) With the amount of plastic waste and other garbage in the world's oceans reaching new highs, the 'WaterShark' water drone is designed to help eliminate some of it. Engineered for use in harbors, the 'WaterShark' can seek out and collect waste that's present around harbors and shores before it can make its way out to sea. Created by the RanMarine company, the 'WaterShark' looks something like a miniature catamaran that is somewhat discreet when in the water. The onboard computer software allows the 'WaterShark' water drone to learn about its location to effective ensure it's being as efficient as possible. The 'WaterShark' identifies a great way to clean up coastlines and harbors, but also identifies what could be done to clean up the other vast amounts of waste in the world's oceans. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.1/10 - Popularity: 81% | Activity: 93% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Ocean Clean-up Drones:** Drones specifically designed to clean up waste in the oceans offer a disruptive innovation opportunity for environmental conservation. - **Autonomous Water Drones:** Advancements in autonomous water drones present disruptive innovation opportunities for efficient garbage collection in harbors and shorelines. - **AI-powered Waste Management:** The integration of AI technology in waste management systems can revolutionize the cleaning process by optimizing efficiency and reducing environmental impact. ### Who This Affects Most - **Environmental Conservation:** The development of ocean clean-up drones creates new opportunities for companies in the environmental conservation industry to contribute to a cleaner marine ecosystem. - **Drone Manufacturing:** The production of autonomous water drones for garbage collection opens up a disruptive innovation opportunity for companies in the drone manufacturing industry. - **Waste Management:** The integration of AI-powered waste management systems in coastal areas and harbors presents innovative solutions for waste removal and proper disposal. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Aquatic Shark-Inspired Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waterborne-drone.md) - [Danger-Embracing Underwater Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dangerembracing-underwater-drones.md) - [Water Sampling Drone Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hydro-hawk.md) - [Water-Based Entertainment Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arivia-watersurface-drone.md) - [Flying Aquatic Maintenance Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seaair-integrated-drone.md) - [Water-Mapping Autonomous Vessels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/autonomous-vessel.md) - [Sea Mine-Destroying Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/minedestroying-underwater-robots.md) - [Autonomous Aquafarming Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cultivation-robot.md) - [Oyster-Harvesting Water Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/water-robot.md)