Many forces are damaging coral reefs around the world, from warming oceans to human-caused damage related to fishing and development.
While the first problem is linked to the much bigger issue of climate change, a group of researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, hope to address the latter issue with "coralbots" that are programmed to swim down into reefs to repair damage.
Researchers got the idea for the robots from studying the way bees, wasps and termites swarm together to build their hives. The robots are being programmed to recognize reef fragments from other items on the ocean floor, such as rocks, animals or litter. Then, they are taught to mimic swarm behavior — working together to repair coral that has been broken, which helps it regenerate.
Photo Credit: Murray Roberts
“Swarms of robots could be instantaneously deployed after a hurricane or in a deep area known to be impacted by trawling, and rebuild the reef in days to weeks, instead of years to centuries," says Dr. Lea-Anne Henry from the Heriot-Watt School of Life Sciences, who is leading the project.
The technology is being tested in the deep waters off the coast of Scotland, home to large reef-forming corals similar to those found in tropical waters. These reefs are home to thousands of animals but have been damaged over time by bottom fishing.
Much of the reef is composed of coral that can regenerate, but it needs some helping getting started and that is where the coralbots will come in. Right now, scuba divers are reassembling the fragments, but the depths they can reach is limited — while these reefs reach down to more than 650 feet. It is hoped that the coralbots can dramatically extend the reach of the rescue efforts, and the test program off Scotland can be expanded to other reef systems endangered by human activity.
Some researchers suggest that up to 60% of the world’s reefs are in peril. Fisheries, coastal protection and tourism that reefs support is worth to up $63.5 billion to the global economy, estimate the Heriot-Watt researchers.
More on the coralbot project:
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