Organization
AZURE ALLIANCE
Vision
Within the scope of the team's abilities, using knowledge as a guide, they are committed to making substantial contributions to the environment. The vision is to achieve the goal of improving and protecting the environment through team efforts and to realize this commitment through practical actions.
Mission
The mission of Azure Alliance is to create a machine called the "Azure Fighter", which is specially used to collect garbage from various places that have been drifting into the harbor by ocean currents. This mission aims to reduce human burden while integrating AI artificial intelligence technology to make machines more efficient. Azure Alliance hopes to use this innovative machine to effectively deal with the marine debris problem in the harbor and make a substantial contribution to environmental protection.
AZURE ALLIANCE
ACHIEVEMENTS
TedxTaipei
Cheer Chen giving speech in TedxTaipei
Founded Azure Ocean Alliance Organization
Founded Azure Ocean Alliance Organization, Registered with Taiwan Government
Influence
A staggering 5194.0 kilograms of marine debris was successfully collected and removed from the ocean between July and December 2022
Competitions
- First prize, “Hack The Challenge” - First prize, “Smart Ocean Hackathon” by National oceanographic institute -Second prize, “Taiwan Marine International Youth Forum” -APEC Marine Debris Regional Governance Published -Received Google.org Asia Pacific Sustainable Seed Fund
Chief Executive Officer - Cheer Chen
“Since no one wants to do this, it is time for us to take the initiative.”
Cheer Chen, the Chief Executive Officer of Azure Alliance, graduated from National Taiwan University Institute of Statistics and Data Science. Cheer Chen perseveres in her rebelliousness despite obstacles like lack of family support, ideological differences, a lack of resources, and insufficient economic benefits. Cheer’s main motivation was that she wanted people to see the scene of the blue, clean ocean that she had witnessed as a child. Cheer decided to pursue environmental protection purely out of love for the ocean. Although she did not receive support from her family, she still relied on her willpower to successfully found Azure Alliance and made substantial contributions to the ocean.
Operating Officer - TSENG, YU-TING
“If you have the courage to try and make mistakes, you will know that it is actually interesting.”
Tseng, Yu-Ting, the Chief Operating Officer and an inspiration of Azure Alliance, graduated from the Department of Marine Biological and Fishery Sciences of Taiwan Ocean University. She collaborates with Ms. Cheer because they share the same passion for the ocean, and they eventually reach a consensus and have become crucial in starting this organization. They have the common goal in mind, but the only difference between Yu-Ting and the CEO is that she is fully supported by her family. As a key person of the Azure Alliance, she infuses the team with positive energy, guiding the team toward successful achievement.
Undeterred by difficulties, Azure Alliance tenaciously pursued their vision of building machines. With unwavering determination and indomitable spirit, they succeeded in building the envisioned machine against all odds. Despite initial obstacles, the team managed to attract the support of many supporters and overcome the challenge of insufficient funding. Their refusal to give up, coupled with their ability to make Azure Fighter work effectively, ultimately triumphed over adversity. This success not only demonstrates individual excellence but also highlights the transformative power of persistence in the face of daunting challenges.
AZURE ALLIANCE
AZURE FIGHTER
Power&Movement
Process of collecting wastes
Core&Power Station
Azure Fighter is an electric boat that moves through the water regions including ports, lakes, and oceans. The electricity is stored in the two sides of the vehicle, and activated by the two propeller motors in the back of the ship. The propeller motors are controlled by either the manual controller or the default destination/regions. The propeller can move in all directions, and since the size of the ship is small compared to regular ships, it can move with more flexibility throughout the port. In addition, the purpose of many soft pads and tires attached around the entire boat is to provide a layer of protection when the soft pads have contacts with the wall and ships in ports.
In order to efficiently collect trash and wastes, Ms. Cheer designed three major innovations, including rollers, conveyor belt, and garbage collection basket. Two sets of rollers are combined with an electrical system to allow the roller to activate rotation resulting in affecting the flow of the water. By having the two rollers to move the flow of water inside, the trash can follow the water flow to the conveyor belt. Then, the conveyor belt will gradually move the trash up with a structure of stairs. More specifically, there will be water holes on the conveyor belt that allow the abundant water to leak back to the ocean. Finally, the trash will be transported down to the garbage collection basket, which can carry a huge amount of waste, and then trash will be transferred to the trash recycle trunk in the end.
Beside the conveyor belt, there are two sections of electrical system sets at the left and right sides of the ship. The reason for having two separate electrical systems is to ensure that both sides have a balanced weight. In addition, the hull of the entire boat is made up of glass fiber to allow the boat to be more durable. One interesting fact is that the transparent curtain between the electrical system and the outside is to help the system to prevent any water. Another fun fact is that the pipe going between the layer of the boat is to promote the temperature balance in both outside and inside. Besides the electrical system, there is a red button that stands as the emergency button that stops the power of the entire boat if anything goes wrong. Lastly, the blue cover Ms. Cheer is touching in the photo is the charging plug of the boat that will be charged by using a 30 meters long pipe that connects to the public electricity from the port.