Industrial - Bachelors
Coral reefs are facing unprecedented threats, and current restoration methods are costly, inconsistent, and labour-intensive. Our Coral Drop Ship (CDS) and Coral Outplanting Drone (COD) system automates the process, making large-scale restoration more efficient, cost-effective, and scalable. This breakthrough technology ensures precision, maximises survival rates, and transforms reef restoration.
Coral reefs are vital to marine and land ecosystems but are rapidly declining due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Traditional coral restoration methods are not scalable, often requiring high levels of manual labour, leading to inconsistent outcomes and slow progress. With coral populations dwindling, we need efficient, sustainable solutions to restore these critical ecosystems.
Over 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years and up to 90 percent may die within the next century.
SEACORE INTERNATIONAL, 2024
Discover the Coral Drop Ship (CDS) and Coral Outplanting Drone (COD) in action—our innovative robots working tirelessly to restore coral reefs, support thriving marine ecosystems, and ensure volunteer safety. These cutting-edge machines are transforming reef restoration with precision, efficiency, and a commitment to a healthier ocean.
The Coral Drop Ship (CDS) is filled with 10 coral grids, each securely holding coral fragments. These grids are sourced from coral nurseries and are protected for safe transport to outplanting sites, ensuring the coral is ready for efficient planting by the Coral Outplanting Drone (COD). Multiple CDS’s can also be stacked in a way that protects the solar array and conserves space on the way to outplanting locations and in storage.
The CDS lid is placed overboard and floats on the surface, acting as the central hub for the Coral Outplanting Drone (COD). It charges via solar power and enables communication with researchers while remaining visible to vessels. The COD prepares to descend, carrying one grid at a time for precise planting.
The Coral Outplanting Drone (COD) descends to the seafloor, precisely positioning coral fragments from the grid into optimal planting sites. Using advanced sensors and a robotic arm, the COD ensures each fragment is securely planted at the correct angle and depth, maximising survival rates and promoting healthy coral growth.
Volunteers play a crucial role in coral restoration, but an automated robotic system significantly enhances efficiency and safety. By taking on the most strenuous and time-consuming tasks, robots reduce human risk, prevent fatigue, and ensure precise planting. This allows volunteers to focus on strategic oversight and monitoring, making the entire process more effective and sustainable. This system has been designed with ease of use, practicality, efficiency and safety as key factors.
The CDS and grid assembly was printed at 1:4 scale. The COD was resin printed at 1:2 scale. The coral pin is 1:1 Scale.
Coral reef restoration is an urgent necessity for ocean health. Traditional methods are labour-intensive and inconsistent, often leading to high costs and limited scalability. Our automated system—the Coral Drop Ship (CDS) and Coral Outplanting Drone (COD)—optimises the entire planting process, reducing human error, enhancing efficiency, and enabling mass restoration. This technology not only accelerates the replanting of healthy corals but also allows for real-time monitoring and data collection, providing invaluable insights for future conservation efforts. By automating the process, we ensure that large-scale reef rehabilitation becomes not just achievable, but sustainable and impactful for generations to come.
Harrison Sharman, an Industrial Design and Law (Honours) student at Queensland University of Technology, is dedicated to impactful marine conservation. Working with one of Australia’s leading conservation foundations, Harrison combines robotics and sustainable design to develop innovative, scalable solutions aimed at revolutionising coral reef restoration and driving lasting environmental change.