This AI can detect underwater waste in oceans | Nature India
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A diver removes derelict fishing gear from a reef habitat at Midway Atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Credit: NOAA<br>Most waste, including plastic debris, sink to ocean floors, making them difficult to track. Researchers at the Vellore Institute of Technology in Tamil Nadu have developed an artificial intelligence-assisted technique that can help see through murky ocean waters and detect underwater waste1.<br>More than 150 million metric tons of plastic waste currently pollute the oceans. Each year nearly 11 million metric tons of waste enter the oceans. This number is estimated to nearly triple by 2040.<br>A plastic bottle covered with algae may look surprisingly similar to a rock or coral and this may stump an AI model. To tackle this challenge, the researchers developed a new approach called Quadruple Neutrosophic Image Enhancement (QNIE). This technique evaluates each pixel and increases the clarity of images, reducing colour distortion and improving contrast.<br>The enhanced images are analysed using YOLOv11, one of the latest real-time object detection models. To evaluate the combined system, the researchers tested it using a public underwater garbage dataset containing thousands of images captured under diverse lighting conditions, water depths, and turbidity levels. The system enhanced precision of detection from 79% to 87%.<br>The researchers say the technique could help towards meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, which promotes the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d44151-026-00129-2
References<br>Kumar, S. M. & Babu, R. N. et al. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 227 , 119478 (2026).<br>Article<br>PubMed
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