PASADENA, Calif. – NASA robotics technology could clean up the dirty business of paint removal in the maritime world, allowing workers to strip a ship without the slip of a single chip.

A new automated robotic device based on the technology affixes itself to a ship’s hull with the help of magnets. The M 2000, as it is called, then blasts the hull with a high-pressure jet of water, stripping off the old paint. The water is filtered and reused, while the paint collected for disposal.

Unlike traditional sandblasting, which can generate flakes and dust, the device uses a powerful vacuum to collect all residue.

"Having now personally seen demonstrations of the M 2000, I know the system works," said explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau.

The device was developed under the National Robotics Engineering Consortium -- a NASA, industry and university partnership geared to develop new products and services from technologies that can boost the robotics industry.

Further refinements will allow the robotic tool to adjust its course with computer vision, as well as use sensors to detect surface quality, paint thickness and amounts of paint left on the hull.

NASA prides itself on what it calls "tech transfer," or real-world applications of its often out-of-this-world technologies.

Other examples include tools to assist in coal mining, earth moving and robotic inspection of gas pipelines, said Neville Marzwell, who heads the office of Advanced Concepts and Technology Innovations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

JPL scientists recently announced they have developed a small ultrasonic drill designed to core rocks on other planets or asteroids – or human bones during surgeries here on Earth.