Razer partners with Hong Kong startup to build self-driving ships to clean marine waste

Razer, a global gaming and lifestyle brand, has announced a partnership with a Hong Kong-based startup that focused on marine plastics waste, Clearbot.

Under the tie-up, Razer’s engineers and designers will help build a scalable and mass marketable prototype. The company will also provide US$50,000 in grant money and marketing support, which will be used to build and market the product.

Prototype of marine waste cleaner ship from Razer and Clearbot / Image credit: Razer

Founded by students from The University of Hong Kong, Clearbot is a startup that develops self-driving ships that can be deployed in certain areas of the ocean to automatically clean waste. Since 2019, it has build several prototypes and conducted public demonstrations to showcase its product.

Engineers and designers under the supervision of Charlie Bolton, Razer’s head of industrial design, will help Clearbot construct a ship that’s smarter and more efficient.

The new ship will run on solar-powered energy and can collect up to 250 kilograms of plastic in a single trip. To make it affordable for governments or companies, Clearbot will try to reduce the cost of the ship to under US$30,000. The companies said they plan to show the first prototype by next week.

In April, Razer announced the launch of its US$50 million Green Fund, which aims to invest in environmental and sustainability startups.

Managed by Razer’s corporate venture arm zVentures, the fund recently invested in The Nurturing Co., the company behind bamboo toilet paper and home-care brand Bambooloo. It also plans to pour around US$100,000 to US$1 million into startups in their seed and series A stages.