A pair of inventors dedicated to making a positive impact on the planet through innovative design have unveiled their latest project – an underwater lawn mower.
Sam Rogers and Ed Towler, both based in London, have developed a device that collects seed pods from seagrass meadows, an essential marine habitat.
The invention addresses the significant loss of seagrass meadows in the UK, where an estimated 90% has disappeared due to climate change, coastal development, pollution and overfishing.
Sam and Ed, who are working on the design alongside a charity called Project Seagrass, are crowdfunding £30,000 to expand the prototype.
And they’ve raised nearly 75% of their goal figure so far.
“The latest device glides along the seabed with an adjustable cutting blade that trims seagrass seedpods at just the right height, no buoyancy required,” the duo told Absolutely Business.
“The seedpods are then pumped up to a tow boat where they are filtered from the seawater.
“It’s essentially an underwater lawnmower, except this has honking great skids and operates 10 metres underwater.
“Our aim is to support charities and causes in need, and to celebrate the good work being done by the remarkable people volunteering and working at these charities.”
This device is just one part of a larger initiative for the duo.
Sam and Ed are the founders of Tandem Ventures, an organisation that helps provide practical solutions to environmental, wildlife, and humanitarian challenges.
They said: “This is about showcasing how great design (or our attempts at it) can solve real-world problems and be a fantastic adventure.
“Tools exist to make doing certain things easier, so we’re making tools for conservation.
“It’s all of the unexpected things that go wrong when testing our ideas that makes the design process so much fun.”
The pair met nearly a decade ago while studying product design at Loughborough University.
After graduation, they pursued different careers – Sam in experimental rocket engine design and building and flying jetpacks, and Ed in product development and wildlife & conservation filmmaking.
Now they’ve united with a common goal: to use their expertise to help good causes.
Ed added: “Charities and organisations on the frontline know best the kind of help they need.
“Our role is to listen and narrow down the exact problem that needs solving to create practical solutions.
“Tools like the underwater seed harvester allow these teams to do more of the essential work they’re already doing and that’s what motivates us.
“We’ve always been building things and filming them – but Tandem is about bringing all of those skills under one roof for a good purpose.”
The duo partner with sponsors to enable the projects as well as run their Crowdfunder campaign.
After months of testing with the Project Seagrass team, Sam and Ed built the prototype of the underwater lawn mower in July.
And the design has already proven effective.
Their latest creation is an important tool in efforts to protect and restore ocean health.
Seagrass meadows provide vital habitats for marine life, improve water quality, and store significant amounts of carbon.
Sam added: “Through our careers so far, Ed and I have been lucky to meet a huge range of people and organisations doing incredible things all over the world.
“That’s what led us to think how we can make our own positive impact.”
Looking ahead, the duo is already working on their next project: an airborne drone system to help monitor humpback whales in Iceland.
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