AI and robotics deployed to automate coral reef restoration

Artificial intelligence and advanced robotics are being deployed to combat the degradation of coral reefs caused by global warming. Traditional restoration methods, such as manual coral transplantation, are often slow and expensive, sometimes costing up to one million dollars per hectare.

New technological initiatives, including the Coral Maker project supported by Autodesk, are developing robots capable of recognizing organic shapes. These AI-driven machines can distinguish between different coral fragments and adjust their grip pressure to prevent damage to the organisms.

The goal is to establish an industrial-scale production chain. Land-based robots will prepare millions of coral plugs, while marine robots on ships will insert these plugs into artificial skeletons made from recycled stone. This automation aims to increase restoration capacity from a single hectare per year to approximately 100 hectares.