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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — City Hall Plaza gets lined with pop-up tents, all offering a glimpse of the future.

On Wednesday, dozens of local climate tech companies showcased futuristic technologies at Climate Tech in the City. The event was designed for companies to make connections across the industry, gain attention for their projects and secure funding.

The Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion’s Alia Forrest also hoped the event would help to convince young college graduates to stay in Boston.

“We’re hoping to attract those folks to stay here, to live here, raise a family here [and] get a job here,” said Forrest.

CRABI Robotics was one of the companies participating in the event, hoping to find a commercial partner for its Crud Removal Autonomous Brushing Instrument (CRABI). The robot will help remove biofouling, which is the accumulation of microorganisms on the bottom of ships.

Since biofouling can add significant weight to a ship and requires divers for removal, founder Levi Gershon said CRABI can help save both money and fuel.

“On average it’s costing the shipping industry about $25 billion per year,” said Gershon.

The air conditioning company Transaera was also in attendance, looking to take their revolutionary air conditioners to the next level. The company said air condition worldwide creates twice the emissions of the global aviation industry, but their product hopes to change that.

“We use a sponge on steroids to perform the dehumidification for us. That allows us to save about 40 percent of energy,” said a Transaera spokesperson.

Correction: A previous version of this article misquoted CRABI founder Levi Gershon as saying, "...it's costing the shipping industry about $25 million per year." Gershon actually said it was "about $25 billion per year."