A group of designers aim to develop ‘parasitic’ drones that perch on neon billboards in Hong Kong and suck up pollution to produce fuel and grow plants.
During the day, the drones, which the designers call “parasitic robots” would perch on neon billboards that line Hong Kong streets with their wings spread. They would collect pollution through a carbon-absorbant polymer paint, currently undergoing lab tests at the University of California, Los Angeles. At night, when the billboards light up, the robots would attach to them, using the heat from the neon in the next step of the process.
Heating up the polymer to a certain temperature would release the CO2, which could be collected and used in energy production. The CO2 would also help boost the growth of plants on the robots’ wings, so the robots can double as miniature farms. The system would collect organic waste from the plants to create biogas, while the extra CO2 would be used to create methane. Some of the power from these fuels can run the robots themselves, making the system self-sufficient.
