Robot drone could protect Great Barrier Reef by killing crown-of-thorns starfish
An underwater drone that can keep watch over the Great Barrier Reef's health and kill invading species is ready to be put to the test.
Researchers from Queensland University of Technology say their robot reef protector can monitor coral bleaching, water quality, pest species, pollution and sediment buildup. It has also been trained to detect crown-of-thorns starfish with 99% accuracy and can inject the coral-eating starfish with vinegar or bile salts, both deadly to the invasive predator.
Professor Matthew Dunbabin said RangerBot was not only autonomous but could also stay under water three times longer than a human diver and operate in all weather conditions. "It's an impressive piece of technology, [it's] also deliberately low cost to allow production to be scaled up once the next level of operational testing is completed and all the necessary approvals are in place," he said on Friday.
Dunbabin said the team hoped to eventually launch the drones up the length of the 2,300-kilometre long reef.
Also at Digital Trends.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 10 2018, @08:16PM
He totally got the name wrong, it isn't Skynet but Starnet!!
Run for the reefs boys, they're coming!