Russia Deploys Autonomous Boats and AI to Map Underwater Trash Sites

A government-backed initiative on Sakhalin Island uses unmanned vessels and neural networks to scan rivers for underwater waste and create a digital pollution map.

Russia is turning to unmanned boats and artificial intelligence in the fight against underwater pollution. On Sakhalin Island, researchers have begun developing a digital map to locate trash accumulations on riverbeds. The project is being carried out under a state contract with the regional Ministry of Ecology.

The autonomous boats are equipped with sonar and side-scan sonar systems. Though each vessel has a space for crew, they operate on preprogrammed routes without human intervention.

According to Vladislav Geniatov, Executive Director of the Kryl'ya Sakhalina Research and Production Center, the survey will cover roughly 155 kilometers of river. The sites were chosen from a list of high-risk areas where submerged waste piles could exacerbate flooding events.

Data gathered by the vessels is processed in labs using artificial intelligence. Neural networks sort through massive datasets, distinguishing between harmless pebbles and potentially dangerous blockages.

Sakhalin’s government also plans to launch its own unmanned boat production facility. The initiative not only supports environmental cleanup but also promises to create new local jobs.