Robot Tackles Widespread Issue on Public Beaches: “Incredible Technology”
April 22, 2025: Published by Kristen Lawrence in Yahoo!
Meet BEBOT, an adorable beach-cleaning robot that's helping to keep public beaches free of plastic and other harmful debris.
Image: BEBOT completed a full beach cleanup at Meeks Bay on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe in 2024. Photo by: ECO-CLEAN Solutions
Developed by Italy-based Niteko Robotics in partnership with 4ocean and Poralu Marine, a global leader in marine-grade technologies, the electric-powered BEBOT sifts the sand for small litter and can remove up to 200 pounds in one session.
You can see it in action at Lake Tahoe, deployed by the beach cleaning company ECO-CLEAN Solutions. A video posted to its TikTok account (@eco_clean_solutions) shows BEBOT combing the beach and collecting trash buried on top and below the sand, including flip-flops, plastic bottles, and cigarette butts.
Impressively, BEBOT can clean up to around 32,200 square feet of beach per hour — which is 20-30 times more effective than picking up trash by hand. These eco-friendly garbage collectors target smaller waste items such as food packaging wrappers, bottle caps, nicotine pouches, and more.
Capable of digging up to 8 centimeters (about 2–3 inches) into the sand, BEBOT is designed to reach small plastic fragments and debris that are often missed or take hours to collect by hand. Its large sand sifter set behind two tracks make it low impact and easy to separate litter from the sand, and all recovered materials are then hand-sorted to sort trash from natural debris like pinecones, driftwood, and rocks.
Image: A sampling of litter collected by BEBOT, which is then sorted and catalogued by the teams at ECO-CLEAN Solutions and the Desert Research Institute (DRI). Every piece tells a story — and helps us better understand the sources and impact of shoreline pollution. Photo by Katy Jo Caringer of ECO-CLEAN Solutions.
Because they're 100% electric and solar-powered, BEBOT doesn’t release planet-warming emissions, helping to protect wildlife and sensitive beach ecosystems. These beach cleaners are a big improvement from larger gas-powered equipment such as tractors typically used to remove trash from sand, as they can erode beaches and harm plant and animal life.
BEBOTS are also much quieter and less intrusive than tractors, making them ideal for beaches packed with tourists. Meant for daily use, these beachcombers are remote-controlled and have a range of about 950 feet, per SEVENSEAS.
But the robots' capabilities extend beyond just cleaning up beaches. BEBOT also has attachments that can level sand, rake seaweed, and even carry heavy loads such as beach chairs and umbrellas for tourists and beachside businesses.
BEBOTS have been deployed in several locations, including Great Lakes beaches in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin as well as several Florida beaches. They have made a particularly notable impact at Lake Tahoe, with 1 million square feet of shoreline across 20 beaches cleaned by ECO-CLEAN Solutions, per South Tahoe Now.
Image: BEBOT completing a full beach cleanup at Kings Beach in Lake Tahoe, NV. Photo: Katy Jo Caringer of ECO-CLEAN Solutions.
Innovative trash-cleaning solutions such as the compact yet mighty BEBOT can make it easier to keep our beaches and waterways litter-free so that both humans and animals can enjoy them safely, for generations to come.
"Incredible technology, but a damn shame it's even necessary," one person commented on the TikTok video.
"Wow that's amazing, to keep the beaches clean, and all that won't go into the lake," another said.
Stay tuned for updates on the latest innovations that are improving our lives and shaping a more sustainable future!