Coral Reefs May be Saved by Coralbots Robots Designed to Rebuilt Them

A project designed by Heriot Watt University wants to rebuild coral reefs in the ocean using dozens of robots that are intelligent and made to do the job. The project will take place in the Scottish seas. These robots will be used in addition to human efforts to save and rebuild the coral reefs. Volunteer scuba divers are adding pieces of coral to the reefs that can regrow. The Coralbots or robots however can reach depths the divers cannot and are more successful with the project.

These robots will be programmed to distinguish between coral and sea life. Overall coral reefs support over 50 million people around the world. Coral reefs have been damaged by storms, careless fishing, and tourists. The robots have been tested at sea so this is the bulk of the work. Still the robots must be further programmed to recognize healthy coral and put it down in the right places so that it can grow.

The coralbot robot have the ability to save the Scotlands reefs. The concept of swarms of robots is similar to bee and insects. Insects build and sustain complex structures like hives and ant hills. The scientists hope the project is successful and can restore reefs across the globe.

The coral reefs are home to fish, plants, coral, and marine life. In Scotland they have large reefs like in the tropics. Large scale bottom fishing has killed large patches of these coral reefs. But the coral can be regrown so the coralbots could save the reefs if used correctly. These robots could be deployed to rebuild damaged reefs in days or weeks after a storm or fishing disaster.

These reefs supply coral around the world so the supply is important. Many areas of the reef are brown and about 20 percent of the reef is dead. The threat continues to grow. Coral can regrow but takes years so these reefs are in danger of not recovering. Coralbots are a team of robots designed to go into the depths divers cannot and transplant the coral.

They are about a metre long with built in imaging tools and mechanical arms that operate in swarms. The robots would be designed to be intelligent enough to avoid obstacles and navigate underwater. The research team is programming the robots to work like swarms of insect which do repetitive tasks but build complex objects.

Coral reefs support about 25 percent of marine life in the ocean. They provide homes to over 1 million fish and other creatures. They provide food and jobs for many businesses that use the coral for different purposes. They are natural barriers that protect coastal communities and cities. Coral reefs provide medicine for dangerous diseases and illness. They keep the water clean and many regions depend on the to promote tourism. This is some of the reasons efforts to save the coral reefs are important.