On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, the Nervi Marina hosted the environmental awareness event “The Sea Begins Here”, dedicated to collecting cigarette butts and solid waste scattered along the coastal environment.
The initiative, promoted by students from the International School of Genoa (ISG) in collaboration with the sports center SAL, AMIU Genova and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), involved numerous volunteers and local citizens.
For the second time, the VERO quadruped robot (Vacuum-cleaner Equipped RObot), developed at the Dynamic Legged Systems (DLS) lab of IIT as part of Spoke 3 “Environmental Protection and Care” within the RAISE project, actively participated in the collection of cigarette butts.
Equipped with artificial vision and robotic intelligence, the system demonstrated its ability to move on uneven terrain and performed selective suction of cigarette butts without disturbing the surrounding environment.
From 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM, students and volunteers gathered and sorted solid waste, separating paper, plastic, metals, and cigarette butts. Water samples collected in the port area underwent initial chemical analysis aimed at monitoring the quality of the marine environment.
The event attracted the attention of many families, children, and local residents, who were not only interested in the environmental issue but also in the innovative presence of VERO, a concrete example of integrating scientific research with environmental protection. The field test allowed researchers to gather valuable technical information and listen to suggestions and feedback from the participants.
The initiative highlighted the urgency of addressing cigarette butt pollution, which, according to recent scientific studies, can contaminate up to 1,000 liters of water per individual butt. Cigarette butts are among the most widespread and toxic plastic wastes globally.
The participation of the VERO robot represented a significant milestone for testing the technological solutions developed within the RAISE project, aimed at providing innovative tools for environmental safeguarding. The event also promoted proposals for recycling cigarette butts within a circular economy framework, thanks to collaboration with local organizations and companies specialized in transforming this type of waste into new usable materials.
“Today we brought VERO, the quadruped robot that collects cigarette butts, here to the Nervi Marina to participate in this initiative organized by the International School of Genoa, which often promotes activities focused on cleaning the environment from cigarette butts. For us, this was a valuable opportunity to test the robot in a real environment, with people already sensitive to these issues — but also to see how the public reacts to a robot working for a positive environmental cause. The goal is twofold: on one hand, to let people know what we are doing and explain the project; on the other, to conduct a real field test that provides us with useful feedback on how our technology performs. We’ve already noticed some critical points — for example, intense sunlight can interfere with the cameras — all practical experiences that we’ll bring back to the lab to improve the system. And how did people react? Well, most were very surprised and impressed — it’s not every day you see a robot doing this kind of environmental task. Many great conversations started, and we also received interesting suggestions on what the robot could or could not do in the future. So yes, it was truly useful and stimulating!” commented Claudio Semini, head of the Dynamic Legged Systems unit at the Italian Institute of Technology.
The event was held under the patronage of Municipio IX Levante, the City of Genoa, AMIU, UNESCO, and UNICEF, with support from the Genoa Aquarium and the European ProBleu project.
