Arduino oil spill solution (by CowJam, aged 30 3/4)
I would have swarms of small autonomous robots, arduino controlled. They would be equipped with basic homing communications. When one happens upon oil it would signal how much oil it is in.
Arduinos would decide where to go based on the strength of the signal (to indicate distance) and the amount of oil. A big patch of oil would attract arduinos to clean it up. Little patches of oil would only attract particularly bored arduinos.
I've seen the news, and as a child in the 80s I remember the footage of the exxon valdize spill. I know without a doubt that the best thing in the world at soaking up oil is air beathing marine wildlife: birds, seals, etc.
Each arduino would have an animal in a little bag (with its own air supply, I'm not cruel). Seawater would be pumped over the animal, which would soak up the oil and clean seawater would exit the vehicle. Once fully soaked the arduino woulddump the animal on shore where a team of do-gooding greenies would clean up the animal and return it to the wild (where it would be caught by BP staff and set in another robot).
The best thing is the clean-up people don't even have to know what's going on!