Aussie researchers create a robot vacuum for oil spills

Md Ataur Rahman and Surya Kanta Ghadei say their robot collects oil without the use of chemicals. (PR IMAGE PHOTO)

With tiny propellers at its side, a plastic canopy up top and a smooth body no bigger than a shoe, the robot looks a bit like a bath toy.

But the creation from RMIT University is designed for much bigger bodies of water and significantly bigger tasks: namely, cleaning oil spills in the sea.