RangerBot capable of being under water is nearly three times longer than human divers, collect more data, and operate in the afternoon and evening.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is dying. In April, the latest comprehensive maps reveal that up to 93 percent of coral in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia suffering from the effects of bleaching.
However, these reefs are dead. To monitor and assist the recovery of the coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation launched the coral guard robot called RangerBot.
Initially, the robot was created to find and clean up the invasive predators that eat coral. However, a team of scientists from the Queensland University of Technology along with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, expanding it to manage issues of coral reefs around the world, including water quality, invasive species, and coral coverage.
Managing Director Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Anna Marsden, said that the project aims to provide protection for coral reefs.
"More than one billion inhabitants of the Earth depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. It is they who will lose the most if the ecosystem if it was destroyed, "said Marsden.
Researchers say, this robot is very different from the sea with the sole purpose of the robot, which can be very expensive, manually operated, and based on acoustic technology.
Matthew Dunbabin, Queensland University of Technology researcher says, RangerBot is able to be under the water almost three times longer than human divers, collect far more data, and operate in all conditions and day or night.
"This is a quantum leap in technology in robotics and sea coral protection. RangerBot is the only autonomous robot sea, affordable, multifunctional solutions to detect and resolve threats to coral reefs effectively, " said Dunbabin.
He said, though the Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef area that is best to manage them in the world, because of its size and its complexity, effective management is a big and expensive job.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has included RangerBot in Google Impact Challenge, which helps non-profit organizations create technology to help solve world problems.
The team hoped, by winning one grant from Google Impact Challenge, will help the recovery effort, and keep the area beautiful with a diversity of species for generations to come.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is dying. In April, the latest comprehensive maps reveal that up to 93 percent of coral in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia suffering from the effects of bleaching.
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| RangerBot to Save the Great Barrier Reef |
Initially, the robot was created to find and clean up the invasive predators that eat coral. However, a team of scientists from the Queensland University of Technology along with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, expanding it to manage issues of coral reefs around the world, including water quality, invasive species, and coral coverage.
Managing Director Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Anna Marsden, said that the project aims to provide protection for coral reefs.
"More than one billion inhabitants of the Earth depend on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods. It is they who will lose the most if the ecosystem if it was destroyed, "said Marsden.
Researchers say, this robot is very different from the sea with the sole purpose of the robot, which can be very expensive, manually operated, and based on acoustic technology.
Matthew Dunbabin, Queensland University of Technology researcher says, RangerBot is able to be under the water almost three times longer than human divers, collect far more data, and operate in all conditions and day or night.
"This is a quantum leap in technology in robotics and sea coral protection. RangerBot is the only autonomous robot sea, affordable, multifunctional solutions to detect and resolve threats to coral reefs effectively, " said Dunbabin.
He said, though the Great Barrier Reef is a coral reef area that is best to manage them in the world, because of its size and its complexity, effective management is a big and expensive job.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has included RangerBot in Google Impact Challenge, which helps non-profit organizations create technology to help solve world problems.
The team hoped, by winning one grant from Google Impact Challenge, will help the recovery effort, and keep the area beautiful with a diversity of species for generations to come.