The undersea robot developed by researches from the Queensland University of Technology and Southern Cross University in Australia are going to inject a new lease of life into a Great Barrier Reef.
The small/little LarvalBot has now dispersed and delivered microscopic baby coals to overwhelmed areas of the reef to aid repopulation.
This LarvalBot is capable enough to carry approx. 100,000 coral larvae during a single mission, and it will soon be able to carry a lot more – maybe millions (not confirmed). After a little Bot releases larvae, it settles onto damaged reef areas and will develop into new coral polyps or baby corals.
The QUT Professor Mr. Matthew Dunbabin says,
“Using an iPad to program the mission, a signal is sent to deliver the larvae and it is gently pushed out by LarvalBot. It’s like spreading fertilizer on your lawn”.
“The LarvalBot is very smart, and as it glides along we target where the larvae need to be distributed so new colonies can form and new coral communities can develop.”
The Managing Director of Great Barrier Reef “Anna Marsden” has commented on how incredible it was to see that this project moves from concept to execution so speedily – specifically due to the most recent concerns what we only have a very short window to act before the reef is ahead of helping.
She further added in her comment that, the official title of the initiative is the 2018 Larval Restoration Project, and we can be certain that we will keep following their progress with bated breath! Well, you can keep watching by following them on their website or by signing up to become a coral reef citizen.
