Long Beach debuts 'Jellyfishbot' to clean the city’s marina waters

Long Beach’s small but mighty “Jellyfishbot” is on a mission to collect trash in the city’s marina waters — and officials need your help naming and designing some of it.

Young people from surrounding communities are invited to submit art that could be displayed on the sides of the robot and participate in a naming contest. The winning artist will receive a $1,500 scholarship package and other prizes donated by sponsors.

Bryan Plante, superintendent for marine operations, told LAist that the bot is much more efficient than sending a boat with a team of people to scour through the area.

“It's a Roomba of the sea, if you will,” he said.

About the bot

The “Jellyfishbot” is an electric, remote controlled robot that can remove up to 100 pounds of waste in a single mission. It only needs one person to work and includes a GPS system that will let city staff come up with specific operating areas and a map of the water.

It has a live camera and collision avoidance systems to help it steer clear of obstacles above and underwater.

Its net system, which is attached to the back, collects the debris. Plus, its smaller size — about 3 feet by 3 feet — will help it clean typically hard-to-reach areas.

The bot will be part of the Marine Bureau’s weekly duties, including around the downtown marina footprint and Alamitos Bay. It’ll make appearances after storm events too, which usually bring more debris.

It debuted at last month’s 40th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, and its first mission starts this week.

How to participate

If you want to leave your mark on the new bot, young people are invited to submit their art and name ideas here.

“Much like you'd wrap a car, we're going to wrap those two pontoons on this device with the artwork of a local youth,” he said.

The contest is open to those 18-years-old and under, with submissions accepted until 5 p.m. Oct. 25.

The designs should be no larger than 11x17 inches, and using AI is not allowed.

Plante encouraged candidates to think about what the ocean means to them and bring that to the contest, including recreational activities, food, or life itself.

The first round of finalists will be chosen in early November, and the winning artist will be notified by the week of Nov. 11.

If you end up winning the contest, clear your schedule for the Dec. 7 award ceremony.

“We want to see that personal connection to … the ecosystem that we're trying to help protect and be better stewards to,” Plante said.