Robots could soon replace the garbage collectors to ensure the cleanliness of public spaces and collect garbage. A team of scientists and engineers are coming into effect to develop prototypes that possess these skills.

The robot Wall-E character created by Pixar Studios, has better watch out! Several clones are indeed making their first steps, or rather their first movements in reality. Designed in the program Dusbot they are set to accomplish the same mission as the original, namely cleaning the streets of their waste.

This program is which involved a dozen scientists and engineers, and is supported by the European Commission, aims to "develop, test and demonstrate that robots are capable of playing a role in urban sanitation. Launched in December 2006, the idea took two years to implement and has led, in 2008, the development of two prototypes: the DustClean and DustCart two intelligent robots, each with their own skills in cleaning.

Allo waste
With brushes and jets of water which it is equipped, the DustClean is thus able to clean all public areas of a city: parks, streets, squares ... In summary, it can perform the same tasks as sweeping machines but totally independently, and especially with the advantage of being able to squeeze through the narrow streets inaccessible to garbage trucks. But that's not all! The robot is also equipped with sensors allowing it to make precise statements about the quality of ambient air.

The DustCart, meanwhile, has been designed to pick up the garbage "on demand". In the scenario imagined by the team, the robot goes directly to the people to recover their waste compartment opens and they deposit their trash bag ensuring, through the touch interface, to indicate what type of waste has been filed. Once the belly full the robot goes straight to the waste to deposit its load.

The prototype in action
After the theory, practice up! The kickoff of the first demonstrations was given in Italy last May. So far the reception by the public has been fairly positive, although some users have raised interesting questions. Indeed, to what extent is it really possible to leave freely roam the streets in such equipment without it being degraded? A question that may take more because Italy, the robots will be officially presented in Sweden at the end of July and in Spain in September.