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Green Tech
Triton Logging Sawfish Underwater Harvester
ROBOT SUB SALVAGES DROWNED TREES
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Submerged decades ago by dams, some 300 million perfectly preserved trees sit underwater, wasted. But the chainsaw-wielding Sawfish robot can plunge down to 1,000 feet and harvest 50 trees in one dive—without disturbing the ecosystem. Tethered to a barge, the remote-controlled Sawfish clamps onto a tree with its five-foot-long pincers, attaches inflatable airbags, and chews through the trunk in seconds with a 54-inch blade. The log floats gracefully to the surface. The first commercial Sawfish proved itself late last year in a lake in British Columbia, salvaging 6,000 trees in six months. $1.2 million; tritonlogging.com
RELATED STORY: The Underwater Paul Bunyan
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