SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 2) by acid andy on Monday September 10 2018, @09:46PM (1 child)
If it doesn't involving killing some innocent creature, they just won't take the idea seriously.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Monday September 10 2018, @10:37PM
They'd take the idea of saving some creature seriously too, IF you could show them how to make a profit doing it. Take eco-tourism for example. If having an elephant around makes them a buck then there will be elephants around.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge