New 3-D modeling technology has the power to scan coastlines for garbage much faster than humans can.
One strike against the human species is that we’ve filled the Earth’s oceans and beaches with garbage. A point in our favor, though: We’ve figured out how to use 3-D laser scanners to automatically measure and analyze that trash, which could help assess the problem and prioritize efforts to clean it up. We might even mount those laser scanners on robots.