Robots Assist in Re-build of Coral Reefs

A team of researchers from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has developed a swarm of robots to hand build-damaged coral reefs. The team of 'coralbots', each working individually to simple rules, will piece together damaged pieces of coral, allowing them to regrow. The approach is inspired by the behavior of natural swarms of insects such as bees and wasps, which collectively build substantial and complex structures. Volunteer scuba divers can help assist regrowth by reassembling coral fragments, but they are limited by the length of time they are able to stay underwater and the depths of the coral, which may be too far down for divers to reach. Swarm robots have an added benefit to the project in that they reduce the engineering requirements for extremely robust robots. If one coralbot is damaged, there are many more that can complete the task. The robots are also easily deployed in emergency situations, such as when a hurricane or trawling damages a nearby reef. The swarm of autonomous underwater robots will operate according to a simple set of 'micro-rules' to seek out coral fragments and re-cement them to the reef. Dr Lea-Anne Henry, from the School of Life Sciences, who is leading the project, said: "The biggest most immediate threat to deep-sea corals like the ones we have in waters off western Scotland is the bottom-fishing industry that damages and kills these corals." Dr Henry has been studying Scottish deep-sea reefs for nearly a decade and says they continue to be at risk from fishing. The annual global contribution of corals to the economy, through supporting fisheries, coastal protection and tourism, is estimated at £40 billion. Using a swarm of coralbots has many benefits including reducing the engineering requirements for the robots and robustness; if one coralbot is damaged then the others will still be able to complete the task. "The most exciting thing about this project is that it offers us the potential to restore the function of reefs, both shallow and deep, across the globe, which we all enjoy and benefit from in some way.