Robot tree: An invention that can save millions of lives?

Air pollution reached a high level, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn that, on average, 10 people in the world have nine people breathing air containing high levels of pollutants.

WHO experts believe that air pollution is the most serious threat to health . It is estimated that every year seven million people die due to indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Mexico is a Latin American country with the worst indicators of air quality. According to the Mexico Center for Environmental Protection and Rights (Cemda), about 9,300 deaths from air pollution are recorded each year.

And it is here that experts have invented a device that can help solve this problem. It is Biourban - a robot capable of performing the work of 368 ordinary trees.

The artificial tree called BioUrban is actually a pyramid-shaped block of metal with a height of 4.2m and a width of about 3m. BioUrban is designed like a plant with two parts consisting of a pillar as a stem and a spreading canopy like a funnel. Artificial plants are erected from many concentric metal rings with increasing distance between the rings from the root to the canopy.

The "air cleaning " apparatus is designed in the tree canopy. The mechanism of operation of the above artificial device is to collect polluted air and apply biotechnology to promote natural photosynthesis, similar to the process of a real tree.

'The system was created to solve the problem of environmental pollution in the world. Government policy in this area has not yet yielded results, they only measure pollution levels instead of reducing this level, '- Jaime Ferrer, co-founder of BiomiTech Co. specializes in manufacturing robotic plants, receiving considered in an interview with Sputnik. "We are trying to change this situation ," - he said.

Picture 1 of Robot tree: An invention that can save millions of lives?
Biourban robot.

After three years of research, the Mexican company has developed mechanical plants that help treat air pollution that can cause the deaths of 1.7 million children under age 5 worldwide.

The 4 meter high device has five cylinders, each containing 100 liters. Inside there are live algae involved in photosynthesis throughout the day and night all year round.

'Air is polluted into the cylinders, and the algae absorbs it, processes it and returns it as filtered air. To make this process even at night, algae are illuminated by using energy from solar panels, so the system can operate independently ' - Mr. Ferrer explained.

In order for each Biourban to be effective, maintenance tasks need to be done once every 3-4 months, depending on the level of environmental pollution. The panels must be cleaned and excess algae must be removed, because algae are fast-growing living organisms inside the cylinders. Excess seagrass can be used as fertilizer.

Life of a robot worth USD 50,000 reaches over 20 years.

Picture 2 of Robot tree: An invention that can save millions of lives?
The 4 meter high device has five cylinders, each containing 100 liters.

Air pollution in cities and rural areas around the world causes 4.2 million premature deaths each year. 91% of these are in low-income and middle-income countries.

In the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) provides more specific data. In North and South America, air pollution causes 93,000 deaths a year in low- and middle-income countries, and 44,000 deaths in high-income countries.

' The world population is dying because the contaminated micro-particles settle into the lungs. In Mexico alone, thousands of people die each year due to air pollution, and this phenomenon is called a slow death , "Ferrer said.

Therefore, the invention of Mexico attracted the attention of the whole world and was awarded prizes in England and Switzerland. Puebla is the only Mexican city to have a working robot. Some robots are also located in Turkey, Panama and Colombia.

Other countries, for example, Britain, France and India, started negotiating on installing unique street equipment that could reduce air pollution.

  1. China built the world's largest air filter tower
  2. The project to build a 100-meter air filter chain in India